Options, Choices and Obsessions
by M-Maltesers
Summary: Due to certain unamusing circumstances, Honda, Otogi and Kaiba happen to be rooming together for 23 days... But it isn't what any of them expected and Kaiba starts to wonder if Honda is at all what he appears to be...
1. Drawing Hell from a Bucket

NB: This chapter edited March, 2006. Bakura Ryou is now referred to as Bakura and I've just fixed some small errors and a few paragraphs which really irked me. Thank you!

DISCLAIMER: Miki does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I wonder if I surprised anyone with that statement.

Options, Choices and Obsessions - CHAPTER 1:

**Drawing Hell from a Bucket**

Otogi was the first to break.

"Fine," he snapped wearily, tired of waiting and tired of this awkward, tense atmosphere. Sooner or later, he'd have to draw anyway. He shut his eyes and dipped his hand into the bucket.

"What'd you get?" Jounouchi tried to look over Otogi's shoulder, but realised it was pointless since the Otogi had no intention of finding out himself. Not while some dumb blond was staring over his shoulder, anyway.

"My shot." Anzu went next, just glad not to be the first. She pulled out her piece of paper, and hurriedly scrunched it to her chest so Jounouchi wouldn't try to peer at it.

"Fine. If I show you mine, you have to show me yours." The blond offered.

Honda scoffed. "You don't even have to draw, so how can you say that?"

"Just draw already," Jounouchi growled, running a hand through his hair. He was beginning to get bored, and it wasn't as though he could really partake in the outcome anyway.

Honda obeyed, more because he didn't want to be last to draw, than because he actually ever listened to his friend's advice. "Please be number two… Please be number two…" he muttered to himself. Right about now, Yuugi's kinky habit of always drawing the perfect card would be a great quirk to have. He scrunched his paper into the palm of his hand as he grabbed it from the bucket.

Finally, Yuugi drew and then Bakura.

"Okay… on the count of three…" Yuugi started. Who knew why this was such a big deal that they had to draw for it. Oh, right… Because none of them had been willing to give in and compromise. Not even Bakura. Not even obliging Yuugi, who was always trying to find good points about everyone anyway.

"One…"

Honda wondered if there were any good points to rooming with Kaiba anyway.

"Two…"

Probably not. But Yuugi could probably find them if he tried, and three weeks was more than enough time, right?

"Three."

They flipped their papers over as Yuugi said three.

Anzu, Yuugi and Bakura sighed in relief… But Otogi and Honda found themselves staring helplessly at the numbers written on their scraps of paper. Honda envied the bucket. He couldn't believe that this stupid, plastic bucket got to dish out three weeks of hell. Well, he hoped karma got it and it ended up at a rubbish dump being eaten by rats.

"Someone up there doesn't like me" he muttered under his breath.

"I guess the bucket doesn't either" Anzu giggled.

Honda shot her an irritated look, keeping his curses to himself.

"That wasn't fair!" Otogi said suddenly, breaking the tense silence. "I demand a redraw!"

Jounouchi snorted. "You drew first, so the only person who could have tampered with your draw was you."

Otogi flushed. "So? I meant to pick up the paper with a tear in the side! But someone tore this one too!"

Yuugi and Jounouchi gaped at him, while Honda stared blankly and Anzu dissolved into giggles.

"You tried to fix your draw? And you still didn't get the right card?" Bakura giggled, trying to cover it up with a hand.

Otogi flushed again and scowled. "Like Anzu didn't do the same thing."

"What?" She shrieked, her face turning scarlet.

"I saw you put that stuff on the papers." Otogi accused her.

"What stuff?" she said defiantly.

He shook his head, tut-tutting. "Cherry flavoured lip gloss. You put it on the corners of the papers because it's clear, so you can't really see it, but you can feel it because it feels smooth."

Anzu paled.

"Otogi? Is there something you need to 'fess up to us?" Jounouchi stared at him.

"NO" he snapped, feeling five pairs of eyes on him. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

"Nothing. Just so you know, we're here for you when you decide you're ready." Anzu patted his arm.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL TALKING ABOUT?" Otogi roared, and stomped off into Yuugi's kitchen.

"So, Honda… You and Otogi are sharing with… Kaiba…" Yuugi said slowly, watching Honda's reactions.

Honda gave a slight shrug. "I know." He stared down at his piece of paper. On it was written the number 5. Numbers 1, 2 and 3 were safe – numbers 4 and 5 meant certain death – and it wasn't going to be a quick one either.

Class trips were supposed to be spent with _friends_, doing whatever friends happen to do. But this one… Honda wasn't really looking forward to it. For one, Jounouchi had cut his leg open and needed constant shots and checkups because he was showing signs of infection, and since the annual trip was basically touring (lots of walking, lots of travelling, lots of bother), Sensei had forbidden Jounouchi to go. That meant there were five of them – Anzu, Honda, Bakura, Otogi and Yuugi.

But then… Even worse – due to overbooking, their hotel had run out of hotel rooms and instead of sharing a room between two, it was now sharing between three. That was the only reason Anzu was allowed to share with 'members of the opposite gender', according to Sensei… _Then_, to make everything _infinitely _worse, Sensei had happily informed them that since they were the last group to write up their 'room-sharing-groups', they'd be sharing with… one… Kaiba… Seto…

All these _crappy _conditions that happened to change the way the trip was _meant_ to be, Honda thought as he stared outside to see the rain beginning to hit the windowpanes.

He glared at the rain. "That weatherman up there must hate me," thinking about walking home in the rain. His motorbike was in for repairs since it had had a run in with a car, and he had to leave earlier than the others since he had chores to do at home.

They'd agreed collectively that since half the trip was spent in hotels in cities, and the other half was spent on the road that they'd draw lots. The first lot drawn had to share for the first half of the tour, and then if sharing a room with Kaiba really was an absolute hell, then they'd have a redraw.

Honda rolled his eyes as he felt something smooth on the paper. Was this Anzu's cherry lip gloss? He peered more closely and noticed that the other side of the paper was torn…

Were those two really so stupid that they couldn't even tag the right pieces of paper?

"Well, I have to get going…" He stood up and stretched, already feeling damp from just looking at the rain.

"See you tomorrow morning then!" Anzu called out happily.

Sure, she was happy, Honda thought bitterly. She didn't have the horrors of sharing a hotel room with Kaiba Seto and Otogi Ryuuji for at least the next eleven days. God, if he was unlucky, it would be 23 days…

The whole entire trip! Ahhh!

-(S)-

Honda barely slept all night.

When his mother knocked on the door at four-thirty, she looked shocked to see him awake. "Are you okay Honda? Are you sick or something?"

He shook his head a little, barely moving from his position on the bed. "Everything's packed. I'm all ready to go."

"Well… Uh…" She wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to say. When did her son start being organised?

"Do you have enough money?"

He nodded.

"How about clean boxers?"

Honda rolled his eyes. Of course…

"Toothbrush? Toothpaste? Book?"

He blinked at her. Why take a book? Oh, right – because the flight was god-knows-how-long and because Otogi wasn't good at maintaining a conversation for longer than five minutes. Well, not a civilised conversation anyway.

He slowly got up and shuffled over to his bookshelf, noting that he didn't actually feel like reading anything on it.

His mother sighed and stepped out of the room momentarily. "Here," she thrust a book at Honda and put her hands on her hips. "Just don't get it messed up, okay? What time's the taxi coming?"

Honda glanced towards the clock. "Now."

He mumbled to himself and stretched before picking up his backpack and his suitcase and lugging them out to the waiting taxi. 'I just hope this trip doesn't kill me…'

-(S)-

"Okay, here are your tickets. _Don't _get them confused because as soon as I hand your tickets to you, _I _am no longer responsible for them."

Honda tucked his tickets into his wallet alongside his passport and frowned at the photo on it. It made him look like he was constipated… His face was a little screwed up and he looked to be in pain. How appropriate for international travel.

Three hours later, he was reminding himself why he'd agreed to sit next to Yuugi and Bakura… Bakura was squeezing his hand so tightly Honda could barely feel his fingers anymore, and Yuugi looked a pretty delightful shade of green. By contrast, Otogi was sitting happily, his ears with earphones in them, and his legs up on the seat next to him, since Anzu was in the bathroom – and had been for half an hour – making Honda wonder if she was ever coming out again.

Bakura had taken the window seat, since he said he wanted to see the engines – just to make sure they worked – and Yuugi had taken the seat next to the aisle for obvious reasons, ie. just in case he needed to sprint to the bathroom…

Honda was of course, in the middle. Otogi was on the other side of the aisle with Anzu's vacant seat, and behind Honda were Kaiba and a few other girls – who of course flocked to Kaiba like he was magnetized or something.

-(S)-

"So we've just gone backwards in time eight hours?" Otogi yawned and asked as they felt their feet on firm ground.

Honda nodded.

"So it's still breakfast time?"

A shrug. "I guess. But how can you be hungry after that?"

Otogi smirked. "That's why I didn't offer to sit next to the midget."

Poor Yuugi still looked green, and Anzu was looking as though she might fall over at any instant. Baura looked his normal self now that his feet were back on the ground. And Honda was wondering how much more of this he could take…

Everyone has a limit, and Honda was no exception.

"By the way, where exactly are we?" Otogi asked innocently.

-(S)-

"Room 31," Honda replied to Yuugi's question. He frowned, looking at the list and turned towards Sensei. "Um… Sensei? Why aren't we on the list?" he asked, almost hopeful that they wouldn't have to stay here, with Kaiba. The thought had been playing on Honda's mind the entire flight – apart from the bits where Yuugi was sprinting for the bathroom and Otogi was acting as though it was all first-class entertainment. That boy could seriously be trying on people's nerves.

"Honda, I called out your names at the beginning of the list." Sensei sighed and waved a hand. "Your room is number 28. Kaiba already has the key."

Honda nodded and he and Otogi followed Yuugi, Anzu and Bakura to the lifts, their luggage trailing along behind them.

"So… I guess this is where we say good luck… And I hope you're alive tomorrow morning. Oh… don't forget that we have to be back down in an hour." Yuugi reminded Honda, noting that Otogi was more interested in his fingernails than what he was saying.

Honda nodded. Then the lift doors opened and he and Otogi stepped inside. As the doors closed again, he was sure he saw Anzu and Bakura laughing at them.

-(S)-

Kaiba had grabbed the room key as soon as Sensei had called out his name, and now he was sitting on his way-too-hard hotel bed (he'd already tested the other one, and it was worse) and he was wondering if it was possible for two idiots to get lost between the foyer and the hotel rooms. He didn't think so.

Otogi seemed just as brainless as Jounouchi, even if he had invented a pretty good game. But Honda… Kaiba wasn't too sure about him. Of all of Yuugi-tachi, he was probably the one Kaiba knew least. Anzu talked way too much for her own good, Yuugi – well, he was just Yuugi – and Jounouchi was still a mutt, even though Mokuba tried to tell his brother otherwise. Bakura wasn't too annoying, but the fact that he had a crazy "other self" living in his head wasn't too appealing to strangers.

Either way, what did Kaiba care? He flopped backwards on the bed and shut his eyes, feeling the aching muscles in his neck.

He'd spent the entire flight scribbling out sketches and probable blueprints for his next version of the duel disk, but he'd still have to run them all virtually before he could be sure they would work.

Hmph.

-(S)-

Honda knocked on the door and waited for Kaiba to answer. After a minute, he became aware of Otogi tapping his foot impatiently on the ground and drumming his fingertips against the door.

"Otogi, we have to share the same hotel room for the next twenty three days. Unless you _want _to make this a living hell, I'd suggest you lay off already," Honda frowned.

"Lay off what?"

"You know what you're doing Otogi." Honda said through his teeth.

Otogi merely smirked as Kaiba opened the door slowly.

"Hi Seto…" he drawled out, knowing that Kaiba hated the use of his first name.

Honda just rolled his eyes and dragged in his luggage. He flopped onto the bed that didn't have Kaiba's luggage next to it, and rummaged blindly through his backpack for what he was looking for.

Unfortunately for Honda, there were only two beds in the room, as every other student on the trip had already discovered.

"I guess we're sharing," Otogi looked down at Honda with a certain amount of distaste written on his face.

Honda shrugged. "It's not like we haven't done it before."

Otogi wrinkled up his nose. "You make it sound as though this is a regular fixture on my calendar."

"Hell, Otogi. You can have the floor. I don't care at all, but if you take the bed, no complaining." Honda was really too tired to care what their conversation sounded like to the average observer.

At the moment the only other person observing seemed oblivious to it all, as he was typing frantically into his laptop, a frown on his face.

"What do you think the night life is like?" Otogi peered out of the hotel window, trying to spot anything that looked distinctly like a club or a pub.

Honda didn't even bother to get up off the bed. "I don't care. I've just spent the entire plane trip being wedged between a green coloured midget, and a… uh… Bakura… And I just want to sleep. Okay?"

Otogi shrugged. "You might change your mind later. Anyway what was the answer to my question?"

"Which one?"

"The one I asked you before."

Honda sighed. "How long ago?"

"When we were still at the airport."

"Oh… We're in _Germany_, Otogi."

Otogi simply nodded and started pulling clothing out of his bag, tossing them onto Honda.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU IDIOT?"

Otogi blinked at Honda's outburst. "Organising my wardrobe."

"Go organise it somewhere else!" Honda snapped, feeling his head beginning to hurt. He picked off several pairs of pants and some belts which were decorating him, and threw them back at Otogi.

"You know Honda… You'd look really good if you would just wear leather pants."

Honda rolled his eyes. "Don't even think about it Otogi."

"I'm thinking tight black leather pants, black top – with strategically positioned holes, of course – how about some holes in the pants too?"

"You're making me sound like Yuugi."

"True true… But I always thought twins were cute."

"Otogi!" Honda growled menacingly as he watched Otogi pulling out more clothes.

"Too bad you wouldn't fit in my clothes…"

"Thank god for that…"

"But… I'm pretty sure you'd fit in Kaiba's, right?"

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT." Kaiba snapped, glaring at them warningly from his position on the bed.

"Jeez… Everyone's so touchy today." Otogi sulked, pouting. But it didn't really have the Yuugi-effect. "I was just thinking that if you would let Honda-kun wear some of your leathers, he'd look a whole lot better… Almost edible…"

Honda felt his face turning pink. Edible? He hurriedly jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom…

Only to walk out three minutes later to have Otogi jump straight at him.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING OTOGI?"

Otogi looked up at Honda, clinging to him helplessly, and blinking innocently. "Nothing."

Kaiba was shooting daggers at Otogi. "Give them back." His tone was cold and calm – way too assured of himself – Honda thought.

"I'm not giving them back! You have twenty pairs of identical pants anyway!"

Honda blinked.

"This is your last chance Otogi… unless you want to be a pile of ashes before the hour's over." Kaiba was taking a step closer with every second word, his eyes intently glaring at the raven-haired boy, who just continued to cling to Honda.

Honda shuddered. Kaiba looked serious.

Otogi shrieked and did the only thing he could think of – jumping off Honda and running into the bathroom, slamming the door shut, locking it and leaning against it.

Honda grimaced. Kaiba hadn't stopped approaching, even though Otogi was now in the bathroom. He'd probably just have stepped away, but even Honda liked Otogi enough that he didn't think leaving him to the dogs… or Kaiba… was very nice.

"Kaiba… whatever Otogi did, I'm sure he'll give it back to you if you'd just-" He stopped talking to Kaiba as the boy's cold blue eyes focused on him.

"Fine." Kaiba dropped his glare and scowled, walking back over to his bed and sitting on the edge, looking extremely pissed off.

Honda blinked. Was that it? "Um…" he glanced towards the clock. Their hour was nearly over. "Kaiba? I think we have to be back downstairs now. Sensei will have our heads if we aren't there…"

"Fine."

"Well… aren't you coming?" Honda stepped closer to the door.

Kaiba didn't respond.

"Well?" Honda prompted again, shrinking back a little as Kaiba glared at him.

"I'm watching the door." He stated as though it was obvious, and turned his gaze back to the bathroom door.

Honda was silent and began to shut the room door as he left.

Then Otogi peeked his head out of the bathroom and Kaiba was sprinting towards it before Otogi even realised who it was.

"OTOGI YOU ARSEHOLE! GIVE THEM BACK!"

Honda sighed and slammed the door shut after himself.

"Hey Honda!" Yuugi chirped as he joined his friend in the hallway.

Honda sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Why did that kid have to be so happy?

"Honda!" Anzu ran up to him, looking equally chirpy.

Honda clenched his fists. Right now, he'd like nothing better than to just kick their arses to the other side of the world.

Yuugi, seemingly noticing Honda's mood, changed his tone. "How's rooming with Otogi and Kaiba?" he asked cautiously.

At that moment, the door down the hallway flew open violently and a raven-haired boy ran out, his voice shrieking at the top of his lungs "Honda-a-a-a-aaaaaaaahhh!"

He ran straight past said boy, and a moment later, Honda realised why – Kaiba was sprinting after him, pure rage on written on his face. "YOU BASTARD! GET BACK HERE NOW!"

Yuugi sighed. "Just think, Honda, at least we're already ten hours into our trip, right?"

Anzu smiled happily. "That means, there are only…" she trailed off, not knowing how to compute the maths.

Honda finished for her – "you mean to say there are only five hundred and fifty two hours more…"

Anzu smiled. "See? It's not that bad…"

- MM -

_Author Notes_: I'm sure drool-able isn't really in the dictionary, but I had to think something up other than nosebleeds...

Read and Review please! I like the next chapter better than this one... but just input please! I just have to edit it so update should be tomorrow or the next day! Virtual plushies for all! Don't worry I'm not neglecting my other fics!

By the way, does anyone else have an indecisive dog who thinks he's a human?


	2. Otogi meets the Native Nightlife

Options, Choices and Obsessions - CHAPTER 2:

**Otogi Meets the Native Nightlife**

"Otogi!" Honda hissed. "Get back here!"

Otogi shook his head forcefully. He was already halfway out the window, his tight leather pants glinting in the moonlight. The street lamps were dim, but their yellowy light cast pale flickers of colour across the white snow.

"You're going to get us kicked off the trip!" Honda hissed, casting a glance back to Kaiba's bed. Apparently even CEOs need sleep since Kaiba had been silent for at least an hour. He was just a lump under the covers now.

Otogi finally dropped to the ground below and gave a slight grunt as his feet stung from the impact. "Hurry up!" he hissed to Honda.

Honda argued with himself. Go, or stay... If he went, he'd be dragged into whatever it was that Otogi was doing, but if he stayed, he didn't think Otogi could look after himself...

He grit his teeth and put one leg over the windowsill. Jumping to the ground below, he grimaced. "Now how are we going to get back up there?"

Otogi shrugged. "Take the lift."

"Then why couldn't we take the lift down?"

"Too risqué."

Honda glared. Otogi was just trouble...

-(S)-

Kaiba opened his eyes groggily, noticing the window slightly ajar and noting the small pile of snow which had accumulated on the floor of the room. He shivered and frowned, realising he was alone in the room. The other bed was empty, and the sheets hardly looked touched. He tried to remember the day's events for a clue – any clue – as to where his roommates had disappeared to.

But no ideas came to him. As far as he was concerned, the day was a muddle of sights – bridges, the parliament, shops and landmarks – but he'd spent most of the day with his nose stuck in his laptop, his fingers almost permanently attached to the keyboard.

He hadn't taken any notice of what Sensei was saying – screw his compulsory 4000-word report – even if he handed up a blank piece of paper, as long as it had his name on it, he'd get an A.

It was as easy as that.

He frowned a little, lost in thought as he stared at the empty bed. Honda and Otogi had hardly talked to each other the whole day, and all Kaiba had heard through his own thoughts was Anzu talking about weather, clothes and food.

He groaned as he felt the stiffness in his back and limbs and cursed as he slid out of the bed and walked to the window, slamming it shut and kicking the pile of snow on the floor. Then he trudged into the bathroom and ran a hot shower.

The water felt calming as it cascaded down his body and soothed his skin, and he instinctively turned up the heat as he felt the cold air around him.

-(S)-

"I don't think you can get in just like that..." Honda mumbled, not really caring if Otogi could hear him. He didn't care if the other boy wanted to embarrass himself.

"Hmph. Watch me." Otogi retorted childishly.

Honda winced as Otogi strutted straight past the bouncer. He stared after the boy and then followed him, relieved when the guy didn't try to stop him.

Inside it was fairly dark, lights flashing occasionally and a veil of smoke lining the ceiling and smothering the people inside. Honda coughed uncomfortably. The smell was getting up his nose and he hated it.

Before he had a chance to check where Otogi had gone, the boy was suddenly swept up in a crowd of girls. "Otogi?"

Honda grimaced as he felt someone grab his waist tightly. The cold pair of hands worked their way down his legs slightly and Honda hurriedly pulled away from them.

All he wanted was to get out...

-(S)-

Kaiba stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, since he figured Otogi and Honda wouldn't be back yet. He was right, of course.

He dropped down onto his bed, knowing he was soaking the sheets with his dripping hair and all, but mentally reasoning that that's what maids were for – picking up his mess after him...

Mokuba would probably give him a lecture if he could hear Kaiba's thoughts.

Sometimes Kaiba imagined he and Mokuba were something like light and darkness.

Yuugi-tachi was always going on about darkness and light... Kaiba didn't believe in all that crap, but sometimes he did muse over the fact that he and Mokuba were as opposite as could be – for siblings... Mokuba was everything beautiful in a child – full of wonder and joy, and innocence... Kaiba on the other hand was old – old because he'd lived in the world long enough to become cynical and weary of everything and nearly everyone...

But there had been that one time... Mokuba had cried. 'Why don't you smile anymore nii-san?'

Kaiba shifted on the bed, still lazily wrapped in a towel and nothing else. He sat up and stared across at the other bed. Why did he even care whether those twits were back or not? They'd been there when he fell asleep – they were most likely just in Anzu, Yuugi and Bakura's room. But the open window had suggested otherwise.

Kaiba walked over to the bed, noting the mess that Otogi had created. Kaiba had gotten his leather pants back, of course. Now Otogi's clothes (Kaiba could tell whose they were since Honda wasn't as skinny as Otogi, and because Otogi was the one with the tendency to wear leather and earrings...) were lying in randomly placed piles and Honda's bags were still sitting, his suitcase was virtually untouched. Only one thing sat out of place – a small MP3 player sat on top of Honda's open backpack. Kaiba picked it up – it was light in his hand and the metallic blue finish shone in the moonlight. On the back a sticker was glued down stubbornly, and was wrinkled unevenly, like someone put it there carelessly, or in a hurry.

'Hi Honda, you're wrong. _Anzu_,' Kaiba read. That girl got under his skin every time he saw her. What type of a message was that?

Kaiba turned the play dial, and almost felt guilty as he put the earphones to his ear and dropped onto the bed, not caring that it wasn't his own.

Suddenly the sound of Mozart filled his ears, and he found himself gaping at the ceiling. Honda definitely wasn't the person Kaiba had always assumed him to be.

That was for sure.

-(S)-

After five hours of hopelessly following Otogi around from one club to another, Honda was entirely exhausted and the sun was beginning to come up. He had always known Otogi had different tastes to himself, but he had always thought the other would be keener on his beauty sleepy than on shaking his backside the whole night...

They were now trudging back to their hotel, and the closer they got, the more Honda was panicking about getting back into the room. It was about six in the morning, and although the hotel was open 24/7, Kaiba had the only hotel room key and Otogi hadn't thought of taking it before they climbed out of the window. They couldn't ask for another at the desk, because Sensei would find out about it and they'd be instantly in trouble, and Otogi's idea of climbing up the side of the building to get back into their room seemed hopeless.

"Now what?" Honda growled as Otogi started to whine.

"My legs are sore... Walk slower Honda..."

"I'm surprised your arse isn't sore. God knows you didn't stop with the hip shaking the whole night."

"What? Just because I got more girls than you, you don't need to be prissy Honda."

Honda sighed. He realised this wasn't the best time to talk to Otogi, but it was going to have to happen sometime in the future... right? Honda decided to take his chances.

"Otogi-kun... You know you can tell us anything... You don't have to feel that you can't trust us..." He was trying to make this sound tactful, and Otogi was glaring at him, his eyes narrowed.

Honda breathed in sharply. "I figured out you were gay a long time ago Otogi."

The raven-haired boy paled visibly. They were still walking slowly, shuffling along the pavement. The morning air was extremely cold. Honda's watch read 6:12, and the temperature reading was minus seven.

Honda half expected Otogi to stop walking, put his hands on his hips and start screaming, but instead...

"How did you know?" Otogi whispered a little.

Honda shrugged. "Does it matter?" Actually, he had not the faintest clue how he'd figured it out... well, apart from the eyeliner, lip gloss and constant 'does this make my bum look big?' Okay... in truth, Otogi never asked that, but he was always checking whenever they passed glass or mirrors.

"Otogi, as far as we're concerned, you're the same guy whether you're checking out Anzu or Yuugi..." Honda said, lacking anything better sounding. "I personally will hate you or love you just the same no matter which way you're inclined..."

"Am I that obvious?" Otogi sounded happier now, the defensive edge lost from his voice, but still looking a little confused.

Honda gave a shrug. "I don't know..." Actually, the answer was YES! But Honda was too busy thinking about their dilemma to care at that moment.

They stood in front of the foyer of the hotel. It was cold outside, but they didn't dare enter just in case they bumped into anyone they knew.

They were fairly relaxed despite the situation.

Otogi was relieved to have that off his chest, and Honda was alternating between feeling sorry for himself in case Sensei caught them, and feeling pleased to have gotten the truth out of Otogi.

Not that Honda and Otogi could go for very long without mean quips and cruel little comments...

Anyone watching would think that they weren't getting along – but that was just it – this was the way they got along with each other. It was the only way they knew how.

-(S)-

Sensei stepped out of his hotel room and yawned, noting the time on his watch. It was five minutes to eight, and anyone who missed the meeting at eight, was going to be on the receiving end of his anger.

He grinned at the thought of his students arguing over showers and bathrooms and all the other problems that sharing rooms presented...

-(S)-

Anzu glared at him. "You snored the whole night!"

Yuugi looked sheepishly towards Bakura.

"Anzu, it's not like he can help it." Bakura said, doing exactly what Yuugi hoped. "Besides, you were asleep most of the night, so it doesn't matter. And you were in the other bed. You didn't have him snoring in your ear..."

Yuugi turned pink.

Anzu snickered, her whinging forgotten for the moment. Then she headed towards the door, glomping Yuugi on the head as she went.

"Hey! You squashed my hair!"

Bakura sighed. "It's perfect Yuugi, don't worry about it."

Yuugi looked hopefully towards Bakura. "Really?"

Bakura gave a light nod, although Yuugi still needed reassurance from the bathroom mirror.

"Mirror mirror on the wall, who has the poofiest hair of them all?" Bakura giggled as he watched Yuugi's pedantic attempts to make his hair stick up.

Yuugi grimaced. "It looks funny..." he wailed, pouting at the mirror.

Bakura gave a sigh and hesitantly began combing Yuugi's hair with his fingers.

Yuugi just smiled and hummed to himself.

"See... perfect." Bakura washed his hands, feeling all the gunk that Yuugi had in his hair. Wouldn't it just be easier if Yuugi pulled his hair into a ponytail like Otogi's?

-(S)-

"Shut up Otogi!"

"You shut up!"

"You first!"

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"You're a real prick you know."

Honda snorted in laughter. "At least we're sure of that. You're a _bitch_ Otogi."

"Hmph." Otogi stuck up his nose and pretended to be studying his nails.

Honda turned around and crossed his arms. He already felt guilty. "I didn't mean it Otogi."

Otogi just stared at his nails more.

Honda was silent.

"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?"

They both whipped their heads around to stare at the voice. "_Sensei_?"

A nod. "Is there something important outside or are you both just enjoying the cold?"

"No! No..." Honda hurriedly jumped up the steps and into the warmth of the heated foyer.

"I'm surprised you're both early."

"For what?" Otogi asked, confusion showing on his face.

"The meeting."

"Oh..."

"Were you outside for a different reason?"

"Of course not." Honda put his hand behind his head, uneasy. "Otogi just has a really bad memory you know."

Otogi looked about ready to shoot some insult back at Honda, but then he remembered what they were doing, and he held his tongue.

"So you're looking forward to today's tour?" Sensei looked to be in a good mood now.

Honda gave a non-committal nod, and Otogi snorted. "Of course," he said sounding sarcastic.

"You know Otogi, they say sarcasm is the lowest form of humour." Sensei said, good-naturedly. He was glad that at least two of his students were enthusiastic enough to turn up for the 8 am meeting. Okay, maybe he'd made it compulsory, but he was now in a good mood anyway.

A few more students arrived, walking sleepily out of the lifts and joining Honda and Otogi.

Anzu, Yuugi and Bakura arrived then, Bakura looking distinctly pink in the cheeks, and Anzu looking triumphant.

"What's up with you?" Otogi said grumpily. He had hardly slept ten hours in two days now. He wasn't really in the mood for Anzu and her perky speeches... Yuugi had once told him about the smiley face Anzu had drawn on their hands, and Otogi had answered that he'd probably have given Anzu a large bruise on her nose if she tried that on him. Pen marks on his hand? How distinctly tacky...

"Did you do something to your hair Yuugi?" Honda asked, grinning to see Bakura's face turning pink. Anzu's grin just got wider.

There was something going on with Bakura and Yuugi...

Otogi and Honda both opened their mouths to ask – but at that moment Kaiba emerged and stormed towards them, looking furious.

They both shut their mouths and turned around, trying to pretend they weren't staring death in the face...

"OTOGI RYUUJI!"

"Uh... You wanted something Kaiba-kun?" Otogi looked uneasy. And Honda was wondering if he'd done something awful again...

"WHERE THE HELL ARE MY PANTS?"

-(S)-

The day wasn't going too badly... once Kaiba got his pants back... After all, Honda reasoned, it could have been much worse. They didn't get caught, and neither Anzu, Yuugi, Bakura or Kaiba knew they'd been gone... Well, if Kaiba had noticed, he hadn't said anything yet.

Honda grimaced as he looked around the shop. Everything in here was tasteless – just like every other souvenir shop in every other country. Outside the snow was falling violently, not gently floating, but being swept up by the wind in gusts and gasps and violent rushes. He tapped his foot a little and winced as Kaiba glared over at him.

"What's the hurry? It's not like there's anything better for you to do. You're stuck here in this country until Otogi gets you kicked out." Kaiba said disdainfully.

"What? And your situation is any different?" Honda tried to remain stoic, but it wasn't working. He was letting Kaiba get under his skin. "You're stuck _with _us Kaiba."

Kaiba gave a shrug. "So what if I am? At least I'm doing something useful with my time..."

Honda sighed and went back to staring out the window. Kaiba was right. He was typing furiously on his laptop. Honda wondered what would happen if Kaiba ever lost his laptop. He'd probably go insane – a bit like Jounouchi losing his marbles.

Otogi was staring confusedly at a row of key rings. "I don't get it," he said suddenly. "These all say the same thing – they all say 'ich bin ein Berliner' and they all have the a picture of this orange thing..."

Honda sighed and peered at one of the key rings. "Otogi-kun, don't you know your history? JFK said that before the fall of the Berlin wall... it means I'm a Berliner – the food... He should have said ich bin Berliner – meaning he lives in Berlin... Because ich bin ein Berliner means he's a piece of dough with jam in the middle..."

"Oh... this is Berlin, right?"

Honda nodded. "I don't get it. How can you possibly have designed such a complex game, and yet... you still have no idea where you are, or what you're doing? Don't you care that if I walked off in a minute, you'd be lost in the middle of a foreign city, without even so much as a _map_?"

"Not really." Otogi was playing with a key ring, twirling it around his fingers.

Honda was exasperated. "Why?"

"Well, I'd still have Kaiba. I'm sure someone who can blueprint duel disks and satellite technology can read maps and speak German."

Honda groaned. "Hardly."

Kaiba was still typing on his laptop, crouched over on one of the complementary chairs in the store.

At least it kept his fingers warm in the cold air. He suddenly blinked, realising that instead of typing up his propositions for Kaiba Corp's next venture into nano-technology, he'd started typing _ich bin ein Berliner, ich bin ein Berliner, ich bin ein Berliner_...

He scowled and deleted the page of meaningless words., glancing up at Honda and Otogi. He'd never have guessed that Honda actually knew his history, let alone had any knowledge of a language other than English or Japanese...

But then again, he hadn't guessed that Honda would listen to Mozart...

"Come on... Let's go eat..." Otogi whined, as though he'd been waiting for Honda, and not vice versa.

Honda simply sighed and followed him out, Kaiba trailing behind.

-(S)-

"I think Starbucks is taking over the world." Otogi mused, as he sipped at his Frappicino.

Honda wrinkled up his nose. "It's minus five degrees outside. How can you possibly drink _ice_?"

Otogi grinned suddenly. "Hey look! It's Anzu and Yuugi... Uh... Maybe they lost Bakura somewhere."

Honda blinked and squinted outside into the landscape of white snow and grey buildings. "Um..."

A moment later he grinned. He could see Bakura, but only because the boy had just turned towards him and his chocolate-brown eyes were now staring at Honda. "He's there. He just blends in with the landscape, that's all..."

"Hi Honda!" Anzu greeted happily as she dropped onto the sofa next to him. "I forgot to ask you yesterday how it was..."

"What?" Honda looked at her, confused.

"You know..." She lowered her voice a little. "Rooming with Kaiba... I mean, does he snore or anything?"

Honda flushed uncomfortably and cast a quick glance to Kaiba. He was barely a metre away and Anzu was talking as though he didn't have ears...

Kaiba looked up suddenly, frowning. He cast his glance back down as Honda hurriedly looked away – their eyes having met for a fraction of a second.

Honda was nervous.

Kaiba frowned as he continued to type into his laptop. For all of his typing, he'd hardly given a thought to it at all... He was starting to wonder... Wonder about Honda.

Was he really the person Kaiba assumed him to be? Or had Kaiba just unconsciously assumed that he shared the same traits of character as Yuugi-tachi... that in a way, Honda was an accumulation of different traits of Anzu, Jounouchi and Yuugi...

"Honda..." Otogi's voice cut into Kaiba's thoughts, and the CEO scowled, shooting murderous looks at the keys of his laptop. Bloody Otogi...

Kaiba glanced up at Honda one last time before he immersed himself in his work, barely noticing when his comrades got up to leave, and hardly even acknowledging Otogi when he ran back to drag Kaiba out of Starbucks and onto the cold streets...

-(S)-

Honda lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling – a typical hotel ceiling – just plain white. It wasn't much different to his one at home, but somehow the atmosphere in the room was different.

He glanced across to his only companion – the stony faced CEO who was yelling on his mobile phone, and looking angry enough to kill a puppy.

Honda jumped as Otogi's mobile rang on the bed, next to his head. He hurriedly picked it up. "Moshi moshi?"

Kaiba had now finished yelling into his phone... and said phone was now just a mass of broken plastic on the floor. Whoops...

He frowned. He'd have to get a new one – and soon.

He leaned back slightly on his bed, and listened to Honda's end of the conversation.

"No..." Honda snorted. "Why should I miss you?" He sounded amused.

"I don't think so... I mean, why should I miss someone who steals my pizza, gives me headaches and..." Honda trailed off, frowning slightly at Jounouchi's words on the other end of the phone. He took a quick glance at Kaiba, and was unnerved to see the boy staring straight back at him. "Anyway... um... Jounouchi... I'm sure your leg's going to be fine..."

Kaiba frowned and turned his head to stare at the ceiling.

Why wasn't Jounouchi here, now that he thought about it? Honda's conversation was starting to annoy him – and the way he talked to Jounouchi...

Kaiba had always assumed... but then, assumptions could be wrong? Couldn't they? Maybe Honda and Jounouchi had something more than friendship...

Kaiba scowled at the ceiling, cursing it. It was so white and boring...

He wasn't feeling like himself at all... In fact, he felt simultaneously _wonderful_ and _horrible_ at the same time. And for once in his life, he had no idea – not the slightest clue – how to fix it... And he hated the feeling with a passion.

A second later, any serious thought in his head were completely obliterated as a flash of colour jumped on top of him.

"OTOGI! GET OFF ME BEFORE I KILL YOU!"

"Just testing out your be-eeeee-eeed!" The voice wailed, as its owner escaped once more into the safe confines of the bathroom.

"Only more than five hundred more hours to go..." Honda muttered to his friend, the ceiling, as Kaiba sprinted past him, thumping into the bathroom door.

Otogi's voice could be heard shrieking at the top of his lungs... "HONDA-A-AH!"

- MM -

_Author Notes: _Hello everyone! Hm... what did you think? I liked the first chapter better – but I had to put Kaiba's feelings in here somewhere! Hm... so our favourite blue-eyed CEO (the only one I know of...) is confused. Next chapter: Who ate all the Pocky?

It turns out that someone unexpected has a Pocky addiction! When his Pocky supply mysteriously (or not so mysteriously...) disappears, what will they do? Uh... go looking for Pocky to fix the cravings? And what is Kaiba going to discover in Honda's back pocket? (Uh... don't think dirty thoughts here!)

To all my adorable chibi reviewers! Thanks to everyone! Virtual cream puffs, plushies, Hondas, Kaibas and chocolate for everone! Oh, and cookies ; D

**PerennielOutlander** – Yup : ) Duke Devlin's name in the Japanese is Otogi Ryuuji (Otogi being the surname and Ryuuji being the given name) Uh... your dogs don't like getting out of bed? (sweatdropping...) My dog just wants someone to talk to him 24/7... And he gets really jealous if someone pays more attention to my brothers than to him! But he's fussy too... He'll eat everything in a sandwich except tomato so he'll pull the thing apart and leave the tomato on the ground...

**Ryouholic** – You like Honda? Me too : D He isn't written enough in the anime or fanfics – kind of like a decoration on a Christmas tree, right? He's just there, most of the time. Actually, Anzu's a little like that in most of mine... But oh well...

**Setoobsessive** – Honda/Seto definitely – since I really like Kaiba as a character, and Honda's great to write too – but throwing Otogi in there just makes them a happy threesome... not... (grins like a maniac...)

**Eyes-of-hate** – hm... I don't really get the nosebleed thing – but I think it's a saying that if someone's really good looking or something, if you look at them, you get a nosebleed... Uh... or something like that!

**Sierra's Darkness** – Recipe for mayhem and madness: procrastinate, eat too much chocolate, watch way too many cartoons and spend a lot of time by yourself and you've got the answer! It's fail-proof! Try it : P

**Nanashi2** – Yay! I'm glad you think so : ) Although, I think Honda and Otogi are both a bit OOC in this chapter... Uh... must have been the night out... And I was really flattered you added Dying Butterflies to your faves! So sweet of you : D (I think I must have looked all crazy dancing around the house after that...)

**DreamingChild** – I agree! Honda's more a jeans guy... I think... But have you noticed that Takahashi has a habit of putting his characters in leather? Like Otogi, and Kaiba... uh... that's all I can think of... Oh – and Malik's clothes always show his stomach : P

Actually, Takahashi has pretty good taste in general, ne?

Not that I'm complaining...

Actually, I've written another Malik/Seto, but I wasn't going to post it until after I've finished the one already up... But I'll see...

**Please Read and Review! Input and feedback is great! Any ideas? After the pocky incident, next chapter... I think they're going to get stuck in a lift... TOGETHER... Oh no...**


	3. Who ate all the Pocky?

Options, Choices and Obsessions – CHAPTER 3

**Who ate all the Pocky?**

"Day three… Only twenty more…" Honda mumbled as Otogi kicked him in the leg.

Honda just stared up at the ceiling and put his arms behind his head. It was nearly seven. The morning sunlight was just breaking through the clouds and shining in through the half-closed curtains. In a few minutes the phone would ring with the morning wake up call, and Otogi would be cursing and ranting and his morning whinge would begin.

Honda had given up trying to avoid Otogi's legs and arms in the bed. The boy just slept like a hurricane and no matter how much Honda tried to push him over to one side of the bed… Otogi always managed to end up taking up the whole bed…

It was just hopeless, Honda mused, as Otogi jerked his knee and hit Honda again.

"I hope you're not awake and doing this just for kicks… Or I'll seriously hurt you…" Honda grimaced as Otogi's heel banged his calf.

Honda shut his eyes as he heard the sheets rustling on the other side of the room. Kaiba was up already.

He heard the footsteps gently padding across the carpet and almost stopped breathing when they seemed to stop by his bed.

Then they quickly disappeared into the bathroom and Honda heard the door click shut.

"I don't know about you Otogi… but I can't help but think twenty three days is way too long with Kaiba…"

-(S)-

"You did! I saw you!" Otogi insisted, pointing his finger accusingly at Bakura.

"I didn't! You did it yourself Otogi!" Bakura accused back, narrowing his eyes.

"I did not." Otogi crossed his arms angrily. "I didn't, did I Honda?"

Honda yawned, not comprehending what they were talking about.

"One minute my bacon was sitting here on my plate, and next minute – it was gone!" Otogi exclaimed.

Yuugi sighed, exasperated. "You _ate _it Otogi… How can you not remember eating it?"

Otogi narrowed his eyes. "I knew it." He glared at Bakura. "There's something going on with you two. I _knew _it."

Yuugi flushed uncomfortably. "There is not. And just because I'm telling you Bakura didn't steal your bacon, doesn't mean I'm going to jump in bed with the guy."

"But you are." Anzu snickered. "Every night for the next twenty nights."

Bakura rolled his eyes and stared at his bacon for a moment, before Otogi's fingers reached out and grabbed it straight off his plate. "HEY!"

Otogi snickered. "Finders keepers."

"But you didn't _find _it!"

Otogi blinked innocently and put the bacon into his mouth – all at once. "Hm… you're right. But now it's lost again."

Honda sighed. This was going to be a long day. And it was only eight-fifty.

"Do that again and I'll make you sorry Otogi!" Yuugi threatened, not effectively since Otogi just grinned.

"Let your boyfriend steal my breakfast again and I'll bitchslap you back to Bangkok." Otogi threatened, changing his expression from a maniacal grin to a frown and then back again.

Yuugi flushed.

"But I didn't steal it!" Bakura protested…

"You did."

"Did not."

"You did. Or else it was that kleptomaniac 'other you'! You should really keep him under control."

"It wasn't! You ate it yourself!" Bakura protested loudly, his voice rising in pitch.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone froze, slowly turning their eyes towards the voice.

A very grumpy and somewhat sleep-deprived Kaiba Seto glared back at them all angrily.

"Stop being so tight Kaiba" Otogi said, waving a hand.

Kaiba stared at him incredulously; almost amazed that Otogi would talk after Kaiba's yell.

"You know what you need is a really good screw." Otogi grinned.

Anzu blinked at him suddenly. "Otogi? Now isn't quite the right time or place to uh… confess… those sorts of things…"

"It isn't a confession _Anzu_… It's a fact."

And that was the end of the morning conversation.

-(S)-

Kaiba rummaged through his suitcase, glaring.

"Where is it?" he demanded suddenly.

"Um… are you talking to me?" Honda blinked, turning his head towards the boy.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Do you see anyone else in here?" His cold blue eyes flashed warningly, but his tone softened a little.

Honda rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. "Whatever it is… ask Otogi."

-(S)-

Kaiba glared at Otogi as he entered the room a few minutes later, carrying Anzu's hair straightener in one hand.

"What?"

"Where is it." It wasn't even a question.

A slightly guilty look passed over Otogi's face. Then he crossed his arms defiantly. "I have not the slightest idea what you're talking about _Seto_."

Kaiba's glare became more intense and he took a step towards Otogi. Then his glare turned to a frown and he pointed his foot at one of Otogi's shirts on the floor. "Is this or is this not evidence?"

Otogi flushed, staring at the crumbs which decorated the clothing. "So?"

"So… YOU ATE MY POCKY!" Kaiba roared.

Honda sweatdropped… Pocky? Kaiba? Pocky?

Otogi crossed his arms. "It was practically asking to be eaten. I swear it had 'EAT ME OTOGI!' written all over it!"

Kaiba shook slightly. "OTOGI RYUUJI! I SWEAR I'LL SUE YOU FOR EVERY DAMN THING YOU'VE GOT IF YOU DON'T-"

"Fine fine… Whatever…" Otogi waved a hand, becoming less and less phased with every threat Kaiba threw at him. "I was wondering what we'd do today anyway… At least now we won't be bored…"

-(S)-

So that was why Honda ended up on a Pocky expedition – the rule being that every group of three had to stick together at all times…

"I think Kaiba's suffering from withdrawal symptoms…" Otogi drawled as they walked along the crowded sidewalk.

The blue-eyed boy was stalking in front of them, looking frustrated since they'd been to ten supermarkets now and not one had ever heard of Pocky…

"Who would have guessed?" Otogi snickered. "I knew he had to be addicted to something… but I always thought he would have been one of those hard drugs types of guys…"

"Drugs?" Honda raised an eyebrow, contented for the moment to speak as little as possible.

Otogi nodded. "They say caffeine is more addictive than crack…"

Honda sweatdropped. "How many supermarkets do you think there are in this city?"

Otogi rolled his eyes towards the sky, as though waiting for an answer to hit him. "About ten thousand."

Honda nearly fainted. "WHAT? AND WE HAVE TO GO TO EVERY ONE UNTIL WE GET HIS DAMN POCKY?"

Otogi nodded solemnly. "I know… Addiction is so sad, don't you think? The lengths that someone will go to…"

-(S)-

Kaiba groaned as he shuffled into the room, dropping his briefcase onto the bed. All he wanted was to roll over and die… But that would be a little too dog-like for his taste…

His thoughts drifted to Honda… and inevitably to Jounouchi.

He scowled as he fell backwards onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He wanted to know what was going on… And he hated not knowing! But more than he hated not knowing, he hated asking…

Anyway, he didn't have time for that now. He had to get out and buy a new phone. No-one would notice he was gone, and even if Honda and Otogi did, they wouldn't tell Sensei because otherwise Kaiba would be able to dish the dirt on them too…

Blackmail material was so useful sometimes.

But he did really want to know…

Kaiba got up slowly and crept over to Honda and Otogi's bed, almost as though he was waiting for someone to catch him – and there was no one around. Honda and Otogi were downstairs with Yuugi-tachi…

Kaiba spied a book sticking out of Honda's bag and he quickly pulled it out, feeling guilty…

He flipped it over – it was a small diary-like book.

The pages fell open easily and Kaiba realised immediately how private the words on the pages actually were – they weren't notes about days' events or feelings even…

There were lines upon lines of poetry – written in neat characters in thin ink …

Kaiba flipped the pages slowly. Pages and pages of verses and quotations, odd musings and prose just stared back at him. It was as though a glimpse of Honda's character could be viewed through the words on the page – but only a glimpse…

It was a fleeting feeling…

A sound made Kaiba jump and he was about to put the diary back when two business-like cards fell out of it.

He frowned as he picked them up and read the writing on them.

And to his utter annoyance, he found himself unnerved by the words and his breath caught in his throat…

Then he caught sight of another card sticking out of a back pocket of Honda's pants. The pants themselves were sitting, folded neatly on the top of Honda's suitcase, but the card was sticking out as though it had been forgotten. He picked it up and read it before slipping it back into the pocket.

He slammed the other cards back into the diary and scowled, scolding himself, as he left the room.

-(S)-

Honda dropped onto the bed, exhausted.

They'd spent five hours tramping around in the cold and waving their arms around like monkeys (since none of them spoke German well… except Kaiba – although the extent of his German seemed to be 'Wo kann ich Pocky kaufen?') before Otogi had actually thought of looking it up in the phonebook…

Then he'd had the nerve to ask Kaiba why he hadn't thought of it himself…

Which had led to an unpleasant display of why Kaiba had the black-belt skills and why Otogi didn't…

After that, they'd taken the wrong train since Otogi had read the map upside down and no one had checked…

That was a strange train ride.

So now Honda lay on his bed, barely awake and hardly noticing anything around him. He stared at the ceiling. "It's kind of funny… don't you think? I mean, of all the people I could have been stuck with… it just had to be those two…" Honda yawned, closing his eyes. "But I'd guess you've seen worse…"

"Who are you talking to?" Otogi mumbled.

Honda barely heard him. He was starting to slip into unconsciousness – those hazy moments between consciousness and sleep.

"HELLOOOO!" Otogi screamed into Honda's ear.

Honda jerked and sat upright. "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?"

Otogi smirked. He was sitting on the bed next to Honda now. He shrugged. "You looked like you were falling asleep…"

"I was."

Otogi blinked innocently. "You were? Who were you talking to?"

"The ceiling."

Otogi frowned. "What? It can't be better company than me…"

"Trust me. Most things are better company than you. It doesn't talk, it doesn't yell, it doesn't kick me at night… It doesn't steal other people's breakfasts or…" Honda snickered, "it doesn't go bump in the night…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Otogi glared.

Honda burst into laughter.

Otogi growled…

And pounced.

Honda yelped when Otogi landed on him – cat style with all his claws sticking out! "Aaaahhh – owwww!"

"DAMN YOU OTOGI!" Honda yelped as Otogi pushed him off the bed and he landed on the floor with a thud.

"That HURT!"

"Ahhh! And so did THAT!"

"… I give up."

"No you don't. You _lose_." Honda smirked triumphantly as he held Otogi down by his wrists.

Otogi stuck up his nose. "Don't pretend you don't like it this way."

Honda's cheeks flushed pink.

The door swung open and Kaiba walked in, stopping to stare with a frown on his face at the spectacle in front of him.

He almost looked as though he was going to say something before he closed his mouth and turned on his heel, walking out again…

-(S)-

"I'm not sure Kaiba's coming back…" Honda talked out loud while Otogi sat on the floor, practicing his yoga… Or so he said…

To Honda, it looked a lot more like Otogi rolling around uncomfortably than doing any sort of organised and structured exercise…

Otogi suddenly groaned. "… Honda?"

"What?"

"… I'm… stuck…"

Honda peered over the edge of the bed, sighing as he got off it. Any other day he'd have laughed, but… today… He just felt so worn out, worn down…

"What pose is this supposed to be? Cricket with legs in the air?" Honda snorted.

Otogi glared up at him, his feet behind his head and his arm twisted around a foot while the other arm waved at Honda. "Just get me unstuck! More action! Less talk!"

Honda snickered. "What sort of action? From this angle…"

"Just do it already before I lose the blood circulation to my foot!" Otogi snapped back, flailing helplessly like a fish out of water.

Honda grinned and tried to pry Otogi's legs out from behind his head without hurting Otogi's neck too much…

Actually it was made more difficult by the fact that Honda had to pin Otogi down _and_ try to pull out his feet simultaneously.

"_This_ is why I don't do yoga…"

"Well I'm glad you don't too. God, imagine you doing those poses… You'd look like a constipated frog."

"Otogi… Do you _want _me to leave you here on the floor?" Honda said, warningly, but the grin on his face didn't change.

Then he snickered.

Otogi's face flushed with anger. "BLOODY HELL! I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY TO LIE HERE!"

Honda just laughed and yanked Otogi's feet at the same time, making Otogi scream in pain and bang his free arm into Honda's…

And Kaiba Seto just happened to choose that moment to walk back in… again…

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"

Otogi blinked innocently, while Honda untangled himself from the boy underneath him, blushing and looking anywhere but at Kaiba.

Otogi stood up, rubbing his hip… "I think you broke it… I'm going to sue the pants off you Honda…" He was avoiding the question.

Kaiba took a deep breath. "What… is… going… on…"

Honda shifted uncomfortably.

Otogi stared at his nails.

…

…

The silence only lasted a few seconds before Otogi snapped.

He didn't have infinite patience like Honda. Well, sometimes…

"I GOT STUCK, OKAY?"

Kaiba blinked in confusion. "Got stuck doing what?"

Otogi's face flushed. "It's not like what it looked like…"

Kaiba suddenly flushed with anger, and snorted. "Are you sure? Is it just me… or does it seem like you two can't just stick to one person?" He walked over to his bed, knowing that he wasn't supposed to have let that slip… but at the moment he was so confused he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing, or not supposed to be doing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Honda's voice reached Kaiba's ears, making the blue-eyed boy suddenly wary.

There was no response from Kaiba, and Honda frowned, repeating his question.

Kaiba shut his eyes for a moment, before staring straight at Honda. "Well… You're cheating aren't you?"

Honda blinked. "Cheating at what?" He really couldn't follow Kaiba's logic… Or lack thereof…

Kaiba rolled his eyes as though his companions were both stupid. "Relationships aren't meant to be like that!" He could hear the words coming out of his mouth, and he could feel the confusion in his mind and the emotion in his chest, but he felt so detached from everything and everyone around him… And still, the words just kept falling out of his mouth…

"You can't have a boyfriend _and_ go pick up random guys _and_ screw around with Otogi! It's bad for your health! Don't you know that? You'll end up in a mental institution! Kami! Otogi alone is bad for your health! And don't even get me started on the make inu!"

Honda blinked, finally comprehending that Kaiba's words were directed at him.

Kaiba's glare never wavered, though his mind was in turmoil. It was processing his words slowly, and as though in slow motion, he was watching Honda's face.

Honda's expression slowly changed to a slight smile. "You thought I had a boyfriend?"

Kaiba felt his face paling. Was he wrong?

Otogi snickered suddenly. "You are a bed hopper after all Honda… Jeez…" He was enjoying Kaiba's discomfort. "You know if you're going to share that many beds… you should be more careful…" A slight look of confusion passed across his face. "By the way, who _are _you cheating on?"

Honda rolled his eyes, exasperated.

Kaiba was past confusion. He was utterly lost. "I thought…"

Honda's smile faded a little at the look on Kaiba's face. "I…" He frowned a little, apologetic.

Otogi burst into laughter. "Jounouchi and Honda sitting in a tree! F-U-C-"

Kaiba suddenly jumped up from his bed and darted for the door, gone in a flash of movement…

The only evidence he'd been there, was the sound of the door slamming and banging back open again, its latch now broken…

Otogi frowned. "Well, that was unexpected."

Honda growled. "You just don't know when to stop, do you?" And then he too was gone… leaving the door swinging behind him.

Otogi just stared at the open door, wondering how on earth he was supposed to get out of this mess, and where he and Honda fit into the puzzle…

- MM -

_Author Notes_: Did anyone notice I wrote that I liked the first chapter better in the second chapter and that I liked the second chapter better in the first chapter? Um… I don't think so since no one commented… I think I should get an 'out of order' notice for my brain… Oh, and lots of virtual stuff for my reviewers! Hm... I guess since it's virtual, you can have anything you want... but not my house, okay? And not my computer either... Or my Pocky... Actually - since it's virtual you can have anything in the world! How about Mexico?

Anyway, _Read and Review_ please! Do you ever wonder why I put capital letters there?

(1) Chris Tucker says "I'll bitchslap you back to Bangkok" in Rush Hour 2… I really love that movie! Actually I love most things Jackie Chan style!

(2) Wo kann ich Pocky kaufen? means 'Where can I buy Pocky?' Hm… I'm not sure how Kaiba knows that…I guess he's just full of surprises in this chapter…

**Sierra's Darkness** – Thanks! And I'm sure the cordial will help your creative writing skills… Especially the _creative _bit! Uh… it's the chemicals in the cordial that do that…

**Yami no Marik** – Thankyou : ) I like fics with unusual pairings – but not too unusual because they have to have 'chemistry'… hehee… Actually I really want to write a Malik/Yami next… _after _my extensive list of ideas on the waiting list…

**Nanashi2** - Thankyou! And you can keep on talking forever! I don't mind at all... haha... Oh - and

**I-love-bakura1489** - Wish granted! Did I mention I love Bakura too? Wait... which Bakura do you mean? I think I mean both...

**setoobsessive** - I guess Otogi's more useful than I thought he would be... Actually, that was why I put him in with Honda! He's like a catalyst! (You know - in chemical reactions they're just there... but they actually cause the reaction between two elements... hm... interesting I know...)

**Obscured Illusions** - Thanks a heap! That's really cool!

Until next time! I should get a better line... how about - Salut! Hm... it's French.

Actually it means 'hi' but kids in France use it to say 'see you later' as well, so really, it's like you're never saying goodbye! So... Salut!


	4. Lost in a Haze of Madness and Confusion

Options, Choices and Obsessions – CHAPTER 4

**Lost in a Haze of Madness and Frustration**

Honda glanced down the hallway… It was empty, of course. It wasn't as though Kaiba was going to hang around just to see if Honda was going to come after him.

Honda turned towards the right and started walking, then breaking into a jog. He caught a glimpse of a dark blue trench coat around the corner and he sped up.

It was Kaiba… as he had expected.

But now that he was within a metre of the CEO, he really didn't know what he was supposed to say. He stopped running as he reached Kaiba's side. "Um… where are you going?"

Kaiba didn't answer, just kept walking and turned into the fire staircase, walking down to the ground level.

Honda just followed him, until Kaiba stopped in the street.

"What are you doing?" Kaiba asked icily, his voice and demeanour just as cold as the air around them.

It was late in the afternoon now. The sun would set early, and then the blank, cold darkness would set in.

Honda shivered and pulled his jumper around him. He hadn't thought to grab his coat before he exited the room. "I just thought you needed company… that's all."

Kaiba didn't answer, but turned and started walking more briskly.

Honda had to jog a little to keep up with him. "What's the rush?"

"I have work."

Honda frowned. "You always have work."

Kaiba gave a shrug and walked faster.

Honda jogged a little faster.

"Don't you give up?" Kaiba snapped harshly, turning to Honda as he continued to walk.

Honda gave a slight shake of his head. "Don't you want company?"

Kaiba didn't answer. Yet he frowned at the paved concrete path in front of them. The light was fading and the streetlights were flicking on in front of them.

The streets were full of workers going home. Kaiba's eyes drifted towards a small bench at the edge of the footpath. It was set a little back from the path, on a small spot of icy grass. Behind it stood a little tree and further back was a large corporate building.

Kaiba crossed the waves of people coming towards them and strode towards the bench, sitting down without so much as a word.

Honda followed him, confused. He sat down slowly on the other end of the bench and looked towards the lines of commuters, all walking in trickles and streams in front of them.

He snuck a glance at Kaiba. He looked deep in thought. He was staring at the traffic, but he didn't seem to see it.

Kaiba stared out at the people passing by, wondering what their lives were like… And wondering if they too were lost.

If they were lost, it probably wasn't because they were suddenly falling in love with… And why now? Why in the last two days?

Kaiba had been sitting in the same classes for years – and he'd never before cared about Honda. He'd never even noticed the guy before, apart from being the face of one of Yuugi's friends. And now, he was suddenly having _abnormal_ thoughts about the guy!

But why _now_? Why now when, Kaiba couldn't get away from it…

The more he tried to tell himself he didn't care for the guy, the more he found himself losing all control of his thoughts and emotions.

He was almost scared he'd never be able to pull himself out of the mess he'd gotten into…

Why?

Why?

_Why _Honda?

Why _now_?

Kaiba shut his eyes. What was that phrase Mokuba was always quoting? Carpe dium? Seize the day…

"Hmph." What a stupid idea! To think that he could just say 'by the way Honda, how does a relationship sound?' and Honda would turn around and say 'that's just fine and dandy Kaiba and how do you feel about marriage?'

"Hmph."

Honda grinned, despite himself. The way Kaiba just sat there and made such funny noises as though he was having a conversation with himself – it reminded him of Jounouchi.

Honda glanced at Kaiba for an instant, almost afraid to be caught. He felt like a little kid reaching for the candy jar.

Kaiba's eyes were closed, a slight frown on his face. His lips were pursed and he was leaning back against the bench.

Honda shut his eyes and leaned back as well. Kaiba seemed stressed. "What do you think German pizza tastes like?"

Kaiba's eyes snapped open and he turned his head towards Honda. "What sort of a question is that?" he asked, turning away quickly as he felt the pink blush rising to his cheeks.

He felt like a lovesick teenager… which was funny, since he was still a teenager – whether he thought it or not. But since when did he _blush_?

Honda gave a shrug. "Are you hungry?"

Kaiba frowned. Was Honda actually asking him for dinner?

Honda waited for a response. But there wasn't one. "Anyway… I'm going for pizza. You can sit here on the bench and wait for the cat to eat you." He stood up and stretched.

Kaiba frowned and glanced around. What cat?

A pair of eyes stared out at him from the bushes and he suddenly jumped up. Cats meant germs, and germs meant infectious diseases… Infectious diseases meant foaming at the mouth and pink spots all over and all sorts of other horrible things…

-(S)-

"What flavour?" Honda perused the menu. "I feel like supreme."

Kaiba shrugged. He wasn't really hungry, but he wasn't going to turn Honda down for dinner despite whatever the business part of his brain told him.

Sometimes he wondered if his brain was segmented – one part for business, one part for fathering Mokuba, and another part for everything else.

-(S)-

There was a distinct lack of conversation at the table for two.

Kaiba picked at his pizza, eating so slowly Honda almost found it agonising to watch.

But the lack of conversation was worse.

"So… What do you think of the trip so far?" Honda questioned.

Kaiba gave a shrug.

"I guess it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be." Honda mused. If Kaiba wasn't going to converse willingly, Honda would converse by himself.

"It's funny because I haven't been overseas that much before. My parents once took me to New York… My dad had business there… Actually it was pretty horrible. I got lost in a train station and my parents didn't find me for six hours… Oh, and after that, I made friends with a chipmunk in the park. I tried to take it back to the hotel, but the doorman wouldn't let me take it in. I'd named him Edo."

"What happened after that?"

Honda looked up, surprised. "Oh… uh… I put Edo down on the sidewalk and he ran across the road and got squashed by a taxi with the numberplate LJ440." (1)

Kaiba blinked. "That wasn't quite the ending I expected."

"Well, after that, he was stuck on the tyre of the taxi and he rolled off into the sunset."

"Oh."

Honda grimaced.

"I once had a pet frog." Kaiba offered. Then he looked out of the window and they were both silent again.

-(S)-

The walk back to the hotel was silent. The streets were now deserted, and lit up by harsh white streetlights.

-(S)-

"I'm still hungry." Honda glanced around. "Uh… Where's Otogi?"

Kaiba couldn't have cared less…

Honda rummaged through his suitcase and pulled out his mother's book.

_The God _of _Small Things. _(2)

He'd already read it once before – when he had a cold and his mother wouldn't let him out of the house for three days… _Not _because he was really sick, but because she didn't want him to pass his cold onto Jou… Honestly, some days Honda wondered how long it was before she adopted him…

Or kidnapped him…

"Here."

A box of Pocky hit Honda's forehead and he stared up at it, cross-eyed. "Thanks Kaiba…" He wasn't entirely sure what to say… After all, it wasn't every day that Kaiba Seto actually gave you anything – let alone a box of his precious chocolate coated, deep-fried dough…

The door, which incidentally wasn't fixed yet, swung open violently. "Tadaaa! What do you guys think?" Anzu stood in the doorway with someone Honda didn't recognise.

"I'm Honda. Nice to meet you." Honda jumped up and shook the girl's hand.

"Um Honda…"

The voice was a little familiar.

"It's me… Bakura… Bakura Ryou?"

Honda peered. Then he looked up at Anzu slowly.

It was definitely Bakura, now that he examined the boy more closely. He was wearing a short denim skirt and a pink zip-up top. With his slightly girly hips and slim legs, he really almost looked better than Anzu… The hood of his top was pulled over his hair – it had cat ears… Honda pulled back the hood. Long white hair was slipping from a ponytail… Okay – it was Bakura…

Honda blinked. "What are you doing Anzu?"

She grinned. "Doesn't he look great? We're going out tonight with Otogi… Want to come?"

Honda shook his head. He'd had enough of Otogi for a while…

"Um… You know Bakura… You… uh…"

"I look like a girl. Just say it already." He crossed his arms and narrowed his heavily black eye-lined eyes. His lips were glossy pink…

"But you're so cuuuuuuute!" Anzu hugged him. "I love makeovers!"

"Are you sure that's not a make _under_?" Otogi drawled, slipping past Anzu and into the room. "I guess you're missing company of your own gender… Anzu…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Anzu snapped, proud of her 'artwork' and annoyed that Otogi didn't seem to agree.

Otogi rolled his eyes. "Let's just say Bakura looked better _before _you attacked him with the makeup…"

Bakura rolled his eyes up to the ceiling.

"Actually, you look pretty good Bakura… uh… for a girl." Honda put his hand behind his head.

Bakura nearly fell over backwards…

"See?" Anzu grinned. "I can't wait to see what Yuugi thinks!"

"Uh…" Honda was speechless. What was Anzu playing at? Matchmaker? If that was it, he hoped she never turned her talents towards him…

"Are you sure you don't want to come? Last chance!"

Honda shook his head. "I just want to crash… But have fun… and look after Bakura, okay?"

Anzu nodded happily. "Don't worry, I won't let anyone touch _my _little Pookie!"

Honda sweatdropped.

"By the way Honda, those pants could really do with an iron…" Bakura added.

"What is that stuff Anzu… Personality-altering makeup?"

Anzu looked chirpy. "Oh no…"

"Bye." Honda shut the door hurriedly, although it wasn't much good… since the door was still broken… He wondered if he should mention it to the hotel…

On second thoughts, no matter how weird it was to have a broken door, meaning there was no purpose in the door anymore, he didn't want the cost of the door added to his costs. He couldn't afford it.

"I'm won't be back. I'll stay with Yuugi." Otogi mentioned as he walked out the door, casting a wary look towards Honda and a glance at Kaiba.

Honda shrugged and tried to pull the door shut. It wasn't working…

"Wait!" Otogi pulled open the door and ran into the room suddenly, carrying another Frappicino in one hand. "I forgot something." He stumbled over to the bed and fumbled with his suitcase.

Honda walked into the bathroom, and stared at his reflection.

"_Crap_…"

Honda started, and walked out of the bathroom… "Otogi?"

"Uh… nothing. I didn't do anything!" He hurriedly sprinted to the door and exited the room.

Honda stared down at the mess of icy raspberry flavour Frappicino on his bed.

He'd been about to go to sleep…

…

Honda frowned, and glanced across to his only companion…

"Kaiba… could I borrow…_ half_… of your bed?"

Kaiba looked up, a look of disbelief on his face. Then he turned back to his laptop, resuming his typing. "I wasn't going to sleep tonight anyway…"

Honda frowned. He suddenly felt uncomfortable beyond belief. "You really should. Tomorrow we're taking the train up to Hamburg…"

Kaiba gave a shrug.

"Uh… If you don't want to share, I'll just take the floor. I don't want you to lose your sleep or anything." Honda wandered into the bathroom.

Kaiba glared at his laptop. Honda sleeping in his bed? He groaned. Was he _trying _to torture himself?

Well… he didn't think he'd make it through the night if he slept in the same bed… Honda and Otogi's was soaked in icy, sticky Frappicino, so the floor was the only option left…

Or the chair…

Kaiba pulled his legs up into the chair. It didn't feel that squashy… but six or eight hours and he might himself in pain.

Well, physical pain wasn't as bad as… other sorts of pain…

He cast his eyes back to his laptop as Honda emerged from the bathroom wearing a pair of black boxers and an old t-shirt with the words 'Bite Me.' The shirt was a little loose and the pale material was a little worn, so Kaiba could see the rough lines of Honda's toned stomach and chest…

Kaiba was somewhat tempted to follow the shirt's instructions… But he didn't think Honda would like that…

"Uh… Kaiba?" Honda was staring at him.

Kaiba realised he'd been staring, and hurriedly snapped his eyes back to his laptop. Stop thinking like that Kaiba! He scolded himself mentally. Okay… so if _x_ is advertising expenditure and income is _y_… Just think about the stats… Don't think about the uh… other stuff… Just think about the stats…

"Night." Honda slipped between the sheets and rolled over so he faced the wall. "Turn off the light when you're done…"

Kaiba mentally groaned. Honda sounded like middle-aged housewife…

Honda's face was burning. He was just starting to wonder… About… Kaiba…

Of all the people! He cursed himself. Of course it would be his bad luck… He shut his eyes and clenched his fists. And yet… Honda wondered if Kaiba was staring at him not just because he was wearing an oversized five-year old t-shirt (which was originally Jounouchi's anyway) or maybe… Maybe he wasn't quite as untouchable as Honda thought? Acutally, anything was possible, since today three odd things had happened – it turned out Kaiba had a Pocky addiction, Kaiba had given him a box of the stuff, and his bed… Four things, if you counted the fact that Kaiba had accused him of cheating on _Jounouchi_… And eating pizza with Kaiba couldn't really be considered normal, then there was the fact that Kaiba had actually _ran _out of the room… and he'd had a pet frog… But wait! What was the definition of normal and what was abnormal? And if there was such a thing as normal… Did Honda really want to conform to it? Did he care if anyone else conformed to it either? Wasn't 'normal' just a set of regulations society constructed? And since when did Honda care?

Kaiba sure was strange – kind of interesting, intriguing… like a puzzle where the pieces were missing – Honda thought incoherently as he slipped into sleepless dreams with those thoughts in his head.

-(S)-

Honda opened his eyes as the clock on the table read twelve minutes past eight.

He struggled to sit up and ran a hand through his hair, now messed up… "Ugh…" He croaked out, realising that they had to be downstairs at eight-thirty.

The seconds were ticking by… The minutes were ticking by.

He dragged himself from the bed as Otogi came stumbling into the room, looking hung over and confused.

"Kaiba? Kaiba… Kaiba…" Honda shook the boy's shoulders, yawning.

Kaiba's eyes snapped open… His blue eyes stared straight at the boy in front of him.

"God…" Honda muttered. "How do you do that? We have to be downstairs and packed at eight-thirty. You have ten minutes…"

Kaiba groaned lightly. His back was all cramped up and his legs were numb… Sleeping in the chair wasn't that good an idea. His mind slowly processed the feeling on his shoulders where Honda had just touched him. He gently touched one shoulder with his hand and grimaced. 'I'm going crazy…'

"Have you seen my hairdryer?" Otogi yelled from the bathroom.

Honda shook his head. "No…"

"How about Anzu's hair straightener? And my hair spray?"

Honda sighed. "No…" He pulled off his shirt. He didn't have time for a shower anyway… Especially not with Otogi in the bathroom, looking hopelessly for all of that stuff…

He'd just have to survive in yesterday's boxers until they reached Hamburg… Actually, he wasn't looking forward to it… But at least the train trip shouldn't be too long…

"ARE YOU SURE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN MY WAX?"

Honda groaned. "You mean hair wax?"

"Uh… leg-hair wax?"

Honda sweatdropped.

"Hey! I can't go around looking like… you…"

Honda shot him a glare. "I like my legs thankyou… I'm attached to them!"

"Literally…" Otogi snickered. Then he grinned. "Oh, and Kaiba? I believe these are yours…"

Two pairs of black leather pants flew through the air and landed on Kaiba's bed.

And Honda just sighed as the two started screaming again.

… And began the bathroom ritual again… Lock the door, bang on the door, scream at the door…

Honda rubbed his temples. "Just keep counting down the days Honda… Just think… This is already day four… day four…" And watching Kaiba banging on the door… nineteen more days was just too long…

He could just see his sanity flying out the window… along with… Otogi's hair products?

So that's where his wax and gel and spray went…

"NOOOOOOO!"

- MM -

_Author Notes_: Um... Why didn't they finally kiss in this chapter? Hm... because I'm evil? Maybe that comes in the next chapter... Actually, I think it's chapter 6... in the lift. Ha! Fun, I think it's dark in there... but wait! I think Otogi's stuck in the lift too... O.o

I do feel sorry for Kaiba. I am soooo evil. But I feel sorry for Honda even more.

While I was writing this, I noticed how weird the word 'why' actually is… Maybe that's why I wrote it so many times… Um… I do that sometimes – don't you ever think the English language is actually incredibly weird? Actually it happens to me all the time… So then I sit there and contemplate a single word for hours on end…

You think I'm crazy? Me too…

Oh… and I got lazy writing in 'Scene Change' so now it's just a little bracket and some lines… Scene Change doesn't always mean Scene Change… Most of the time it's more a time-passing sort of thing… I'm just lazy to write that in…

(1) Hm… I just made this up so I hope no one has this numberplate!

(2) The God _of _Small Things by Arundhati Roy – it's a really great book! Hm… Also recommended – Life of Pi by Yann Martel and does anyone else love Shakespeare's _MacBeth_?

**Hanna **- Thanks! (as always!) Hm... I'm all talked out... Have I mentioned that my dog is very demanding? He's always asking to come into the house, then he comes in, then he wants to go out, then he wants to come in... arrrggghhh!

**Nanashi2** - Thanks to you too! Ha... um... that's merci beaucoup, danke shon, doje... hm... not sure about the spelling of the last one... Oh, and missing some pretty dotty things on the letters...

Anyway, I still think you're the Honda-guru... Actually your review reminded me of my aunts... um... when they poke you and tell you to keep eating even though you're so full you're about to explode... I'm going to visit them soon! Yay! Food is love, love is food... I say...

**Setoobsessive** - Um... Why Canada first though? You could try China with all it's Bruce Lee type kicking stuff... I went tobogganing in Canada... Hm... Saw some furry animals too... Okay, I'd choose Canada too! Just for the furry animals!

**Obscured Illusions** - I have no idea where Otogi puts Kaiba's pants... I just write the story as it happens... Live story-writing? Wait... what would happen if all the Yuugio characters were on reality TV? Hah! Um... maybe can write that one sometime.

- MM -


	5. Butterflies in the Stomach

Options, Choices and Obsessions – CHAPTER 5:

**Butterflies in the Stomach**

Honda watched Bakura, almost enviously, as the train passed through countryside. His head was resting against Yuugi's shoulder, and Yuugi's arm was wrapped around Bakura as they both slept; seemingly content smiles on their faces.

Bakura's eyes were still smudged with makeup… something that had obviously drawn Sensei's attention, but at least he wasn't dressed in a skirt anymore… though he seemed to have taken a liking to the cat-eared top.

Honda turned to look out the window. He pressed his thumb down on the skip button of his MP3 irritably; wrinkling up his nose when he couldn't find the track he wanted to hear. Who was wearing Calvin Klein? He hated that smell… It made him feel like sneezing…

"Honda-kun." Otogi dropped down next to Honda in the spare seat.

"Hm?" Honda's nose was twitching.

"Just wondering what you're doing…" Otogi threw his arm around Honda's shoulders…

AAA-CHOO-

"Sneezing…" Honda mumbled, pulling a tissue from his pocket. "I'm allergic to you Otogi…"

"Well, since you're not doing anything useful… Want to scratch my back?"

"I'm not a monkey…"

Otogi raised an eyebrow. "Maybe not anymore. But we all know where you evolved from…"

Honda sweatdropped. "And what did you evolve from Otogi?" Honda stared at the eyeliner on the boy's face for a moment and decided it was best not to bring up the subject by relating him to a chipmunk… He figured it was a sensitive topic somehow.

Otogi sat, staring as though waiting. "I thought you of all people should have better punch lines Honda" he remarked dryly, crossing his arms.

Honda ignored the comment, watching the trees flying past. Most of the landscape looked homogenous – green and white alternating… The train swerved occasionally, but mostly the ride was pretty boring.

He hadn't even glimpsed Kaiba since they got on the train… which made him wonder where the boy had actually wandered off to…

"Come on Honda…" Otogi whined after a minute or two, turning around slightly so his back faced Honda.

Honda twitched, but didn't say anything.

"But it feels funny, right there." Otogi pointed to base of his spine.

Honda grimaced. "Go find someone else to do it. Or do it yourself, and practice those yoga poses while you're at it…"

"Well can you give me a foot massage? I think I've got blisters… It's all Kaiba's fault… Just because he's addicted to Pocky…"

"But you ate it in the first place…"

"Your point being?" Otogi drawled, nose turned slightly upwards.

"So it's your own fault."

Otogi stuck up his nose. "Bastard."

"Bitch" Honda smirked, watching with satisfaction as Otogi turned around sulkily.

"Hmph… Anzu? Are you doing anything useful? Do you want to do my feet? I think they're broken…"

-(S)-

"So who wants the double bed?" Honda asked Kaiba as they both stood in the middle of the room.

"Meeeeee!" Otogi ran past them both and sprung onto the bed.

CRAAACK -

Honda glanced towards Otogi, who was now looking panicked. He was standing, precariously perched on one end of the bed, and looking as though he was waiting for something to happen…

BANG -

"Iiieeeeee!" Otogi slipped off the end rather suddenly, the whisk of ebony hair disappearing off to the side.

"You broke the bed already Otogi…" Honda was really too tired to care about it. It felt as though he were in some sort of comedy gone wrong. He stared up at the ceiling. He felt like introducing himself – 'Hello… I'm Honda… How are you today? Did you have a nice sleep last night? I didn't… And I'm sure that until Otogi leaves, you won't either.'

Then he frowned. It didn't sound quite right… 'Hello, I'm Honda. I wonder if you know my friend in room 28 at Hotel Kima…'

-(S)-

"How many more cities?" Otogi mumbled as he stared at the peas on his plate.

Honda shrugged. "Five?"

"Ugh…"

Honda just grimaced. He didn't have to answer… Otogi didn't seem to expect it anyway. He was too busy moping and feeling sorry for himself.

"So where's your bedroom buddy?" Anzu grinned. "Lose him on the way?"

Otogi looked around. "Yeah… where is he?"

Honda stared at his peas; stabbing at them with his fork and watching them dance around the plate… Actually, if he could, he'd stab the fork with the peas… He'd never really liked forks…

And they didn't seem to like him either… since a couple of peas started shooting across the table into Yuugi's hair.

"Oops…" Honda stared, but Yuugi didn't seem to notice that he was now decorated like a Christmas tree…

"Speak of the devil." Anzu muttered as she took a sip of her milkshake.

Honda looked up sharply. He didn't see Kaiba.

Anzu tilted her head slightly.

Honda tried to follow her gaze – he was standing there a few metres away from their table, frowning as he stared towards the window. He placed his briefcase onto a table as Honda watched, their glances meeting for a fraction of a second as Kaiba turned his attention towards the group.

Honda quickly turned his head and smiled across at Anzu, trying to quell the funny feeling in his chest.

Anzu just smiled back, her eyes drifting towards Kaiba a little as her expression became thoughtful.

"Well… I'm um… going to bed now…" Bakura stood up and brushed his pants down carefully.

"It's only seven pm." Otogi pointed out blandly. "Anyway, I've heard the nightlife's better here than in that other city…"

"Berlin." Honda reminded him, not without a slight roll of his eyes. "Berlin's the capital of Germany… No wonder you failed Geography…"

Otogi retaliated the only way he knew how – sticking out his tongue. Bakura was already walking out of the restaurant by the time Otogi retracted it.

"Surprise surprise… the midget's following him." Otogi remarked, grinning. "Night Yuugi! Sleep well…"

"With the emphasis on the _sleeping_ bit…" Honda grinned.

Anzu snorted. "Don't worry… they'll sleep… or they'll face the wrath of an _angry _Anzu…" She grinned lopsidedly and Honda and Otogi took a quick glance at each other…

"Since when do you talk about yourself in third person?" Honda stabbed at his peas again. Maybe Bakura could excavate those ones in Yuugi's hair…

Anzu was still grinning.

"Did you drink all that coffee yourself?" Otogi counted the number of empty cups on the table.

"Well how else am I going to stay awake tonight?" Anzu's grin didn't lessen.

Honda shifted out of his chair. "Don't ever do that again Anzu…"

"What?"

"That…"

"This?" Her grin widened.

"Uh-huh." Honda hurriedly stepped back from the table.

"I won't be back tonight." Otogi grinned, throwing his arm around Anzu. "We're going shopping."

Honda raised an eyebrow.

"Boy shopping." Anzu grinned gleefully.

Honda sighed.

Otogi just grinned. "It's like shopping for candy…"

"Eye candy…" Anzu's eyes sparked with mischief.

"And sweets…"

"Edible ones…"

Honda just groaned and buried his head under his arms.

-(S)-

Honda sat on the bed; staring across to the one Otogi had broken. He didn't have to be a genius to realise that two beds and three people, minus one broken bed and one Otogi who wasn't coming back tonight… meant… staying in the same bed as Kaiba…

And Otogi had broken the _double _bed.

Honda was sitting on the _single_.

'I could kill you Otogi,' he thought as he pulled out his diary and a pen.

-(S)-

And he was still sitting there nearly two hours later, when the door opened and Kaiba stepped in.

"You're still up."

Honda frowned and glanced at the clock. "It's only nine-fifteen."

Kaiba shrugged yet again. That non-describable, could-mean-anything sort of shrug. An I-don't-give-a-damn shrug.

Honda sighed. "Do you want me out or something?"

Kaiba didn't respond, he just slipped into the bathroom and shut the door after himself.

Honda shut his eyes and lay back, dropping his diary down and hearing it thud gently as it hit his bag.

Honda licked his lips, having already formulated the sentence in his head; all he had to do was say it.

Kaiba exited the bathroom and walked over to the small table, his laptop already sitting on the wooden surface, the curser blinking at him from its place in an unfinished email.

Honda cleared his throat. "So… I guess we're sharing a bed, huh?"

Kaiba's heart practically stopped beating at Honda's statement and he found the urge to look at the other boy. "I'll take the floor," he stated, surprised at the cold tone of his own voice.

Honda opened his eyes and frowned at Kaiba. "No… I'll take the floor then."

Kaiba shook his head, his frown quickly turning into a glare.

"Just take the bed."

"You take the bed. I'll take the floor."

"I'll take the floor."

"I said – _I'll _take the floor." Kaiba's glare hardly had any effect on Honda, who just glared straight back.

"Then we'll both take the bed." Honda said stubbornly.

Kaiba didn't stop glaring. But his heart wasn't in it… Normally he could glare at Jounouchi for hours on end… hours and hours… Not that he ever spent that long with the _make inu_, but that wasn't the point. There was no end to his glaring if he felt like it.

But looking at Honda, whether he wanted it or not, his glare just seemed to fall away. And suddenly he'd feel so lost and confused again. He felt lost without a mask to hide behind.

Honda was already pulling the blankets and pillows off the bed that Otogi had broken before Kaiba realised he'd been frowning into thin air.

"What are you doing?" Kaiba's frown was dissipating and being replaced by a look of disbelief.

Honda shrugged. "You don't want to freeze, do you?" He pulled off his sneakers and placed them neatly at the end of the bed, next to his suitcase, before pulling his jumper over his head and folding it.

Kaiba picked up his clothes in a huff and disappeared into the bathroom, the door slamming behind him.

Honda shrugged. Kaiba was so inexplicably weird…

Honda was stretching his arms when Kaiba walked out of the bathroom. Kaiba glanced away, dropping his clothes onto his suitcase and not caring whether they were crumpled or not. It wasn't as though he didn't have twenty other virtually identical sets of clothing.

"Left side or right side?" Honda grinned.

Kaiba turned to stare at him.

"Okay… I'll have the left then…"

Kaiba was cursing himself. He should have just taken the bed… Sharing a pile of blankets – _with Honda_? The blue-eyed boy tentatively sat down at the edge of the bed and hurriedly slipped his legs under the covers, trying not to blush when he realised Honda was staring at him.

"_What_?" he glared.

Honda sweatdropped. "You didn't turn off the light."

The thought hadn't even crossed Kaiba's mind. He watched Honda wriggle out of the blankets and slowly walk across the room to flick the light switch. "Last one in does the lights," he heard Honda state in the darkness.

"Well you're the last one in now, aren't you?" Kaiba replied snappishly, making sure he was lying as far right as possible. He could feel the edge of the mattress and as far as he was concerned, it was a good thing.

Honda mumbled as he tiptoed across the dark floor. A few rays of light spilled in through slits in the curtains, but otherwise it was pitch dark.

He slipped back in between the sheets, shifting onto his side and facing away from Kaiba. "Goodnight."

"Hn."

-(S)-

The sun slipped in through the curtains and the clock on the table flashed 09:44.

"Mmm…" Honda opened his eyes suddenly… and breathed in sharply. He should have remembered when there weren't legs and arms all over him that it wouldn't be Otogi on the other side…

Kaiba was lying, his head just slipping off the pillow and his dark hair falling carelessly over his eyelids. His lips were slightly parted and rays of sunlight were flitting gently through his hair. He looked peaceful…

Honda stared, the sheets rustling and shifting as he slowly brought his hand up; a curious urge willing him to touch the pale skin, willing him to run his thumb over those soft pink lips.

RRING RING RRING RING -

Honda breathed in sharply as the noise jolted him and he found a pair of blue eyes suddenly staring holes in his head.

His hand was hovering above Kaiba's face and Honda almost panicked as Kaiba's facial expression started turning into a scowl.

RRING RING RRING RING -

Had Honda not been so scatterbrained in the moment, the words out of Kaiba's mouth wouldn't have startled him so much.

"Aren't you going to pick up the damn phone already?"

Honda blinked, his hand still frozen over Kaiba's face moved a little further as he reached across the boy, blushing, and fumbling as he picked the phone up off the hook. "That's what I was going to do…" he scowled back.

-(S)-

Two minutes later, he found himself in the bathroom, shampoo bottle in the left hand, body wash in the right hand and wondering which one he had just put in his hair.

He groaned, reasoning that technically they both performed the same basic function – clean.

-(S)-

The clock read 09:59 as Honda hurriedly closed the door behind him. Kaiba was already ahead of him, pressing the buttons on the lifts.

Honda tapped his foot as they waited. "Why there are so many lifts and none coming up to this floor is beyond me…"

"It's not like you'll miss anything important" Kaiba smirked. "Unless you classify advice such as 'don't leave your wallets on the ground' and 'look where you're going' in that category…"

Honda scowled. He was still trying to think over his own thoughts, and having the object of those thoughts making snide remarks wasn't really helping.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the lift finally arrived at their floor and he stepped in.

-(S)-

Anzu practically pushed Bakura and Yuugi out the door, hurriedly closing it so that they didn't just manage to slip back inside.

Life was hard when you were living day in and day out with a pair of fruitcakes who were only interested in each other whilst simultaneously trying not to look it…

Anzu just wished they'd hurry up and get it over with. It was blatantly obvious that they were attracted to each other.

She almost cried when she realised they'd just missed the lift and she hurriedly banged her hand on the buttons again.

"Anzu, are you feeling okay?" Bakura enquired innocently.

"I'm okay…" She sighed. Then her eyes fell on Bakura's watch. "Is that really the time?" She panicked, jerking his arm so she could read it properly.

"Oooww!"

Anzu took Bakura's answer as a yes and banged her fist repeatedly on the buttons.

"I think she needs some stress relief," Yuugi whispered to Bakura causing the white haired boy to giggle and turn pink.

"This _is _stress relief!" Anzu punched the buttons one final time.

-(S)-

Kaiba frowned as he reached into his coat pocket, only to find it empty.

He must have left his phone in the room. He hurriedly pushed the button to stop the lift, annoyed at himself for forgetting something so basic. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't even kept to his morning routine – the same routine he'd had since he could remember.

Honda raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said there was nothing worth hurrying for…"

The side of Kaiba's mouth twitched a little, as though he were resisting the inbuilt command to answer back with a snide comment and a smirk.

He stared at Honda for a moment, his blue eyes seemingly devoid of emotion unless you searched for it.

He had woken up during the night feeling restless as he usually did, and almost been shocked to find himself face to face with Honda.

To say that he had been unnerved was an understatement.

He wasn't used to physical contact, let alone physical proximity. The only person he ever woke up to was Mokuba, and that was only on the nights when the younger Kaiba had nightmares and migrated to his brother's bed at midnight, so finding himself face to face with another grown boy – the one on whom his thoughts had been centred so much as of late, had caused his mind to race at a hundred kilometres an hour…

Kaiba stared at the mirror in the lift, seeing Honda's reflection in it. Hazel eyes stared blankly ahead; the boy seemingly lost in thought. His brown hair was slightly messier than usual, probably because he'd barely dried his hair from the shower as soon as he had realised the time. The other boy quickly noticed what Kaiba was doing and locked his now undeniably curious gaze on Kaiba's in the mirror.

Suddenly the lift jolted and they found themselves in darkness. Pitch black darkness.

"Shit…" Kaiba snapped out of his daze and banged his fist on the buttons.

Honda put his hand to his forehead suddenly. He was stuck – stuck _inside _a lift – _with _Kaiba.

Kaiba was silent.

All Honda could hear was the pressing of buttons.

"I can't find it." Kaiba's voice broke the tense silence.

"Can't find what?" Honda asked with dread, although he thought he already knew the answer.

"The emergency telephone."

Honda's heart sank. He could barely see anything. The only hint of light came from the glow of Kaiba's watch. He had been leaning back against the wall when the lift had come to a stop so he reached out a hand to press against the wall as he slowly felt his way around to the panel where he had remembered the buttons to be.

"Ow! What the _hell_ are you doing?"

"Gomen…" Honda smirked in the darkness. At least he knew he was in roughly the right spot.

He ran his fingers along the buttons. He couldn't remember seeing an emergency telephone as such, but there might have been an intercom. There had to be.

He felt the smoothness of the plastic buttons and the slightly grainy texture of the wood that he knew was at the bottom of the mirror.

Then he moved his hand a little further left and the tips of his fingers touched something soft.

"Honda?" Kaiba's voice sounded tense.

Honda breathed in sharply. _Whoops_… "Well I can't see any better than you," he snapped irritably, knowing that Kaiba might just skin him alive once they actually got out of there.

-(S)-

Anzu watched each of the lifts descending. 22, 20, 18, 16… She scowled noticing one that had been sitting somewhere between the fourth and second floors for more than 5 minutes according to Bakura's watch.

"Morning…" Otogi mumbled, joining the group, and looking very much still asleep. "Where's Honda?"

"He was still in bed when I phoned…" Anzu scowled.

For a moment Bakura thought he saw something flash in Otogi's eyes. An expression of… disappointment? Jealousy? Envy? He wasn't sure, because Otogi smirked then. "Get any sleep Anzu?"

She answered him with a scowl. "If Yuugi doesn't stop snoring, I'm going to get him nose plugs."

Bakura giggled. "Actually it's not his nose. He sleeps with his mouth open…"

"You would know of course, Bakura-kun?"

-(S)-

"I can't find anything," Honda desperately felt the cool metal of the doors in front of him and felt his way to the panel on the left of the doors.

"So look harder." Kaiba growled.

Honda scowled, though in the darkness it really didn't matter what expression was painted on his face. "Want something done? Do it yourself," Honda snapped back, borrowing his mother's expression.

"I am doing it!" Kaiba growled.

Honda tried to quell the urge to swing his fist out and see if he could hit anything. He had more often than not found himself in fights as a result of arguments, but being more level-headed than Jounouchi, he had always tried to keep himself calm in the hope that the blond would follow his example.

He blinked in the darkness. "So did you find anything?"

"What do you think Einstein?" Kaiba snapped back.

"How am I supposed to know what you're doing, idiot?" Honda yelled, the words loud in the small, mirrored space. "In case you haven't noticed – it's pitch black in here! We're standing here, stuck in a lift because of your hypocritical _selfish_ personality and bloody hell! I want to get out!"

There was silence for a moment, and then a slightly calmer voice emerged from the darkness. Though still laced with condescension, it sounded just a little less forceful than before. "Is that really what you think of me?"

Honda threw his arms up in the air. "What do you want me to think of you? Damn it Kaiba! You're not exactly an open book!"

"And apparently… neither are you."

Honda could just hear the smirk in the voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he retorted, sounding defensive.

Kaiba was berating himself. What a dumb argument to be having in a broken lift in pitch-black darkness. But he'd started it, so he intended to finish it. "I'm just saying, you're not the person you lead other people to think you are."

Honda couldn't help but be confused. 'What does he think he's doing?' It almost sounded like a compliment… Though knowing Kaiba, he probably had an ulterior motive up his sleeve somewhere.

He opened his mouth to ask Kaiba what exactly he meant, but felt a touch on his lips…

A light touch – so soft and feathery it almost wasn't there.

"Kaiba?" Honda ventured nervously.

Another touch at the corner of his lips. This time he recognised it to be the feeling of a fingertip.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think?"

Honda could feel Kaiba's hot breath on his ear; the words softly spoken.

"I can't see anything…" he protested feebly.

"You don't need to see… Just feel…"

Honda found himself entirely unprepared as he felt Kaiba's lips on his own. Kaiba felt nervous – hesitant even.

Honda almost pulled away, before the tips of Kaiba's fingertips touched his neck softly, trailing along the sensitive skin and Honda curiously leaned towards Kaiba, allowing the kiss to deepen. He found his fingers tugging slightly at the front of Kaiba's shirt needily as the taller brunette ran his hand through Honda's hair. The feeling of Kaiba's lips on his like a soft caress and the gentle reassuring ministrations of Kaiba's fingers at the base of his neck made his mind hazy; his thoughts incoherent as his body was swept up in the strange, new feeling.

Slowly they pulled apart; Kaiba felt the last tingling touch of Honda's lips as he suddenly found his darkness being penetrated by warm orange light. He opened his eyes slowly to see the expression on Honda's face – messed up hair; now falling across his forehead, his lips slightly parted and eyelids closed, eyelashes trembling against his skin. His head was tilted slightly, exposing most of his neck.

Kaiba found himself giving in to temptation, and kissing Honda's lips again. Honda didn't protest this time.

Honda could feel Kaiba's body pressing up against his. He shifted an arm to wrap around the waist of the slim boy, marvelling at the newfound feelings running through his body like a drug.

And suddenly it clicked in his head – _Kaiba Seto's kissing me… I'm kissing Kaiba Seto… I'm-_

Honda's eyes snapped open in the bright light. The harsh fluorescent light seemed to penetrate his consciousness and as his vision blurred and colours swam before his eyes, the only thing he could focus on was the boy in his arms and the fact that his kiss still lingered on his lips. _His _kiss… _Kaiba's_ kiss…

He barely registered the look on Kaiba's face as he instinctively pulled himself from the taller boy's arms and slammed his hand desperately on the door-open button, sprinting before Kaiba had uttered a single word…

In his panicked state, all that mattered was to get away – to get out: to outrun his newfound confusion.

Kaiba pressed his fingers to his lips and trembling a little, hurriedly closed the doors of the lift and pressed the button for the thirty-first floor. He leaned back against the wall of the lift. The expression on Honda's face – it was one that read like a book.

He had made a mistake.

_Shit… Now what do I do?_

**-MM-**

_Author Notes_: … And now you know why they call it stubbornshipping! o.0;

I can't help but wonder if after 5 months I need to get down on the floor and grovel… I never intended it to take this long to update, but after getting back from my holidays everything just seemed to fall on me at once! I've been resorting to writing drabble and one-shots instead, but now I'm going to concentrate on _OCO_ because the ideas just won't go out of my head XP

Does anyone know what a Japanese sneezing noise sounds like? And yes, the description of Kaiba asleep was very clichéd… If you find funny words, it's because Microsoft Word always automatically changes my typos and I'm tired so I don't want to proofread it! I just want to put it up for people to read… I don't think there are that many mistakes though…

**Cookies and hugs for anyone who reviews! If you don't want the hugs you can always give them back to me XP **But I do really want to know if you're still interested because I know 5 months is a long time… o.0 My apologies! **And cookies and plushies and all sorts of pretty things for everyone who kicked me to update XP**

**setoobsessive **– I guess Kaiba wasn't doing that much thinking in this chapter XD I pushed the kiss forward in my mental plotting so it occurs this chapter and next chapter should be mostly thinking… Musing, rather.

Oh – and there's a line in there which is basically me making fun of my own scene – because I didn't like the way I wrote it even though that was the way I wanted the fic to go!

I thought cramps might just be a little too mean! But maybe later on… XD Because I am the author… and I am evil.

**Sierra's Darkness** – XP Well… you got your kiss! Although it did turn out not quite so innocent and platonic as I expected… But I'm not really sure how boys kissing boys can be platonic anyway… Worship the darkness!

**Nanashi Ni** – Everyone's changing their names lately… Stubbornshipping is a great name XD Quite apt, I think. Although YnB-Jounouchi is called Spazzshipping, which I find highly amusing… And have a hug too! I'm so happy I finally updated! I feel accomplished…

**MotherCHOWGoddess** – Thanks so much for every review you've written for me! I think I'm emotionally attached to Pocky! I remember it from my childhood so it's something I hold near and dear to my heart… Sort of XD

**Kokuryuuha018** – Thanks so much : D I love it when people enjoy what I write so thanks! – more hugs – and cookies!

**Bourei no Hikari** – Thanks XD Yes, I had a sudden urge to dress him like a girl, put him in makeup and make Anzu an artist with a human canvas…

**Rice Kracker** – Thankyou too! Hugs and cookies all around! I've never been to New York but I figure it's not that unrealistic for a squirrel to be run over by a taxi… Well, in my imagination anything can happen : D

**santurion3 **– I know… - sigh – At the two month mark I was starting to feel a bit down about it because I really couldn't update when I felt like writing, then when I got back from holidays there wasn't as much time as I had expected… Sorry it took so long! 5 months and two days to be exact… But you got your update XD I hope you like it!

**PerennialOutlander **– Pocky is basically a sort of baked-dough stick (very thin) covered in different hard toppings! If that makes sense! If I can find a website I'll put the link in my LJ for you : D FFnet is very restrictive on what I can write… I'll also write about Life of Pi and The God of Small Things in the LJ – I think it's easiest that way : D

**Mutou Yasu** – Thankyou XD Yes English is a strange and sometimes not-so-wonderful language… Really it's great some days and other days you feel like kicking it because it makes no sense to anyone at all! That's probably because it's an amalgamation of zillions of other languages…

**Crystal Midasaki** – You got your update : D I know it was a long wait o.0;; I love Honda-Kaiba XD I think it's probably my favourite pairing!

**Lily Bob** – Thanks! Yup. Updating has made me feel much more accomplished! And I hope you like it : D

Long author notes o.o Hope they thrilled you and didn't kill you! Slightly longer chapter too : D

**-MM-**


	6. Laptops, Locks and Whispers in the Dark

Disclaimer: Look! I remembered! I don't own Honda, Kaiba, or any of Kazuki Takahashi's pretty boys.

Options, Choices and Obsessions – CHAPTER 6:

**Laptops, Locks and Whispers in the dark**

_But how can you run when the fear, confusion and madness is all in your mind?_

Honda came to a ragged stop just a few blocks from the hotel. He couldn't run – where would he have run to anyway? In a foreign country, speaking a foreign tongue, what could he do except turn around and walk straight back? He glanced over his right shoulder, seeing the white hotel building in the distance.

He frowned, and for a moment he really wished he had a friend with him – Jounouchi, Anzu or even Yuugi. But Jounouchi was back in Japan, and Anzu, Yuugi and Bakura would have been sitting on the bus by now. Otogi would be with Anzu, of course. Honda wondered if Otogi noticed, or even cared that he and Kaiba hadn't turned up. What would Sensei think?

He wasn't sure, and as he trudged a little further down the street, he spotted a familiar green sign – Starbucks.

-(S)-

So perhaps drinking four coffees hadn't really been the answer he was looking for, and perhaps he hadn't achieved anything at all in the three hours he'd been sitting alone on the plush red sofa. If anything, he was more confused about what was going on. He couldn't bring himself to think of Jounouchi's reaction, should he ever find out.

Honda ran a hand through his hair as he imagined the look on his best friend's face. Jounouchi had always been there for him… And Honda had prided himself on the fact that he had never willing let his best bud down. He remembered the first time he'd been to Jounouchi's place. His father had been drunk – that much was nothing new – and Honda had almost run in fear when the glass had started bouncing off the walls. Jounouchi had never run, and for that, Honda had admired him. Sure, Honda was there when Jounouchi needed him, but sometimes he began to doubt himself. He wasn't really sure what purpose he served anymore. Did he serve a purpose? Were people supposed to? Or did they just exist?

Then he snorted, wondering where the philosophical crap ended and the feeling of self-annihilation started. Hell would freeze over before he admitted any of this to Jounouchi.

Honda frowned as the memories came back to him, and he closed his eyes, wondering. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring into the face of a smiling waiter. "Would you like another coffee sir?"

Honda nodded before he realised what he was doing. He really wasn't a coffee drinker, but he didn't quite know what else to do.

As the waiter nodded kindly and cleared the empty coffee cup and the emptied sugar sachets, Honda's eyes fell upon a small payphone in the street outside.

He bit his lip.

It was cold, and it was snowing, and his better judgement implored him not to pick up the phone… but he merely gestured to the waiter and stepped outside anyway.

At this rate, hell might just freeze over sometime soon… that was, unless Honda did so first.

-(S)-

Kaiba stared at the ceiling. Restless, he sat up quickly before getting to his feet and striding across to the window. There was a layer of snow upon the pavement, and spots were the snow seemed to be piled. Dirty snow lay by the side of the road where it had been pushed the day before and spattered with oil and grease from the traffic flowing past.

He clenched his fist and instinctively closed his eyes.

Strange, how in the darkness, the feeling of uncertainty seemed to multiply. He could feel his eyelashes trembling as the image of Honda's face once again flashed through his mind. He watched those lips move again, and again, and again.

Over and over, as though it were burnt into his memories, he saw the same boy; his same expression. He felt the same rush of anger and disappointment running through his body, and put his hand to his head.

Since his father had died, he had learnt never to look back. He always moved forwards, at the beginning it was for fear that he'd fall behind his goals and that the further and further he fell behind, the more likely it was that he'd find himself back where they started – and that wasn't a place he'd ever return to. But then it became habit. He no longer really knew how to interpret his past. To him, memories had become visions of something which wasn't real, and all he believed was reality.

Kaiba opened his eyes and blinked rapidly, staring at the white, white snow below.

He could cope perfectly well. All he had to do was to convince himself of that...

He stared at the figure walking along in the snow below, and he put his fingers to his temples again. Honda wasn't just an illusion. The kiss was real – real in every way possible. That made his problem a reality.

-(S)-

Honda nervously knocked on the door of the hotel room. Having no key, he was almost hoping that no one would answer it.

To his surprise, it opened to reveal one rather calm looking Kaiba Seto, who merely nodded and stepped aside to let Honda into the room. Honda was too cold to feel the flush in his cheeks, though he was sure it was there. He shuffled over to stand directly under one of the heating vents and then looked back at his room mate strangely. Kaiba looked perfectly calm, and he was smirking.

Honda frowned, narrowing his gaze. What was this to him? A _game_? A cruel, taunting game to be played and won? Was there something Honda just couldn't see?

Maybe there was nothing to see after all. Kaiba only played any game for the satisfaction of winning – however he happened to define winning.

But after nearly four hours in Starbucks and an hour standing at the payphone, during which he had chewed through two weeks allowance, admitted to his best friend that he had just willingly been kissed by his best friend's worst enemy and thus endured a silence which had lasted some five minutes and a lecture which had lasted even longer, something inside just snapped –

"What the _hell _is your problem!" Honda found himself screaming; the words flying from his mouth without a second thought.

Honda's mind barely registered the look of surprise on Kaiba's face as he was suddenly shoved against the wall. Honda pinned Kaiba's wrists against the wall easily, pressing his knee between Kaiba's legs.

"What are you doing Honda?" the captive growled angrily. "Changed your mind now?"

Honda blinked, loosening his grip a little on Kaiba's wrists. What was he doing? And what was Kaiba talking about anyway? _He_ had started it all with his stupid, stupid little kiss!

Kaiba watched as Honda's pupils seemed to dilate. The pressure of Honda's weight against Kaiba's wrists eased just a little and it was enough for Kaiba to push the boy off him and switch their positions so that he was now pressing Honda against the wall.

Honda scowled. "What? You think you can run around kissing other… other…" he was at a loss for words as his cheeks flushed an angry red colour.

"It never happened." Kaiba interrupted abruptly as he glared at the wall beside Honda's head.

Like a sudden, shooting pain, Honda felt a cold feeling throughout his body. He trembled with anger as his fists tightened to the point that he could feel his nails digging sharply into his skin. "Don't just say that! You bastard! You think you can just go around screwing people over like this? You don't just _kiss_ someone like that and think you can walk off the other way!"

"_You _ran the other way… idiot…" Kaiba stared at the carpet for a moment.

"I…"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, staring straight into Honda's eyes for the first time. "It was a mistake." His tone left no room for arguments.

"I don't know what you're talking about. How can it be a mistake?"

Kaiba continued to stare at the carpet. He did owe Honda this one explanation, if only this once. "I…" He swallowed, and cleared his throat, feeling the lump there. "I wasn't thinking straight. I _thought_ I liked you."

Honda shut his eyes. His head was throbbing. He'd probably be tearing his hair out by now, but his wrists were still pinned to the wall. His left hand was starting to numb. He was surprised to hear Kaiba's voice again a moment later.

"I… I've never done that before."

Honda licked his lips nervously as he stared at his hip. Kaiba was standing extremely close, almost pressing against his body again. "Never… kissed a guy?" He chuckled weakly. "Well, you're not the only one."

Kaiba shot him a glare, then glanced away again quickly. "Forget it, Honda. And don't think I'll let you make fun of this either. Don't think you can go around telling your _buddies_ about it either." Kaiba was almost spitting out the words in disgust.

Honda looked up suddenly. "I…" His cheeks flushed. "I…"

Kaiba lowered his voice to a hiss. "I swear I'll sue your arse off Honda. I can't afford for my reputation to be tainted by the likes of you."

_Tainted… by the likes of me?_ Honda angrily pushed the taller boy from him, wincing at the pain in his wrists. His fingers had twisted themselves into a painful knot in the folds of Kaiba's shirt, and he shoved the boy back harshly, watching him hit the bed behind him.

"F-ck you Kaiba! And to think that I almost thought you were half-decent!" He scoffed at the irony. "I almost thought you were human."

He didn't bother with any more words, as he jerked the door open hurriedly and stepped out of the room.

The door slammed with a bang.

Kaiba winced a little. Maybe… perhaps he could have handled it a little better…

No. It was Honda's fault. What else did he expect the idiotic type of guy who hung out with the make inu and the undersized porcupine-headed schizophrenic in their friendship clique?

And, at that moment, his phone rang…

"Mokuba… are you okay?"

-(S)-

Anzu glanced worriedly down the hallway as she stepped out from the lift. Yuugi and Bakura were downstairs in the lobby, trying to get two chocolate bars for the price of one from an old vending machine with broken mechanisms, and Otogi was taking his time getting a Frappucino from the Starbucks down the road.

She stopped as she reached Honda's room, raising a hand to knock at the door.

Hearing a voice within, she frowned. It sounded like Kaiba.

Glancing up and down the hallway, she slowly pressed her ear to the door.

-(S)-

Honda smiled weakly, glancing towards Bakura. "You look tired."

He nodded. "You look sick."

Honda stared at him, slowly processing the comment. "I… oh… I do." He shifted slightly on the bed. It was a little hard, and his back was aching from being pressed against the wall for so long. It had felt like an eternity.

The door opened slowly and Anzu stepped inside. "Honda!" She sounded relieved. "I was worried about you when you didn't turn up this morning. What happened to you?"

He put his hand behind his head, smiling. "Just an accident, that was all. The lift got stuck so I missed the bus."

"So why didn't Kaiba turn up then? Otogi had to join our group for the day and Sensei was in a pretty foul mood about it."

"Kaiba was in the lift too."

"Oh." Anzu tried to hide her confusion quickly, but she wasn't sure if Honda picked it up or not. She smiled at him. "We brought you back a bagel. Did you get lunch?"

Honda took the paper bag from Anzu. "Thank you Anzu… I mean it! Thanks…"

She smiled happily. "No problems."

-(S)-

Otogi reached into his back pocket. No key. He knocked at the door quickly.

There was no answer, yet he could hear Kaiba's voice.

He couldn't hear Honda, but he assumed that Kaiba wasn't just talking to the wall.

Tiredly, he sat down on the dark, patterned carpet and leaned back against the door. Pulling his knees up to his chest, he rested his head on his knees and wrapped his arms around. He really needed a good sleep tonight…

As he slipped into a semi-conscious state, he noticed that Kaiba didn't sound very happy. He sounded like he was yelling at someone…

-(S)-

Kaiba angrily hung up the phone, again. This was the third idiot he'd yelled at in the course of the last hour. He stared at the darkening sky outside as he breathed out slowly.

He wasn't really sure if he could justify yelling at any of those people, but he needed somewhere to vent his frustration.

His head was throbbing painfully.

Glancing around, he scowled at the realisation that the hotel was so cheap, they didn't even leave water bottles in the rooms, and he hardly trusted the undersized kettle to boil water from the bathroom sink.

Kaiba glanced at the mirror quickly. He grabbed the room key and his wallet, before opening the door, at which point Otogi happened to fall backwards and land on Kaiba's feet.

Kaiba's eyebrow twitched.

Otogi snorted and opened one eye lazily, or sleepily. Yawning, he sat up. "Oh… Kaiba…"

Kaiba didn't stick around to hear anything else. He dropped the key onto Otogi's head as he stepped past and then strode down the corridor to the staircase. He wasn't taking the lift again.

-(S)-

Kaiba stared at the ceiling despondently. He closed his eyes. How many days had they been on tour? It wasn't many. Somehow he had the feeling Honda had already spilt the secret to someone but he wasn't sure who.

He twitched a little and opened his eyes, sitting up straight again. The feeling of uneasiness wouldn't ease, no matter what he did to distract himself. He had kissed Honda; that was true.

He had been almost sure the feeling was mutual though, and Honda had kissed back.

Kaiba licked his lips again. Honda had definitely kissed back. His brain was replaying the images of Honda's messed up hair; the soft skin of his neck and the feel of his fingers on Kaiba's skin…

Kaiba could feel his cheeks flushing with colour, and he opened his eyes hurriedly.

Otogi was staring at him.

"What!" Kaiba yelled loudly.

Otogi startled a little, blushing. "Nothing… I…" He tossed a pair of leather pants at Kaiba.

Kaiba just glared, though Otogi looked about ready to sprint for the bathroom if necessary.

In fact, he really didn't need to bother. Kaiba couldn't have cared less if Otogi had thrown ten pairs of his pants back at him.

Otogi was frowning at him.

"What now?" Kaiba stared up at him.

"Er?" Otogi looked taken aback. "Are you feeling okay Kaiba?"

Kaiba stared at the carpet. Of course not. He didn't want to do anything, he wished he weren't feeling these emotions running through his body, and he wished he weren't here of all places. No, he wasn't _okay_.

-(S)-

Otogi was already asleep by the time Honda knocked on the door.

Kaiba opened it, and for the second time that day, he avoided Honda's eyes completely.

Honda cleared his throat a little. "Sorry I said those things to you earlier." He tried to meet Kaiba's eyes, but the blue-eyed boy was adamantly refusing to cooperate.

Honda growled in frustration and headed straight for the bathroom. He glanced back at Kaiba's face as he did so. Kaiba's eyes were downcast, his face looked devoid of any emotion, and his lips were pursed. So obviously he didn't care.

Kaiba stared at the bathroom door, then at the clock. He couldn't believe this was only the 5th day of the tour. Time seemed warped in this foreign country. Every emotion seemed so much stranger; every urge felt stronger and every one of his actions was repeating itself over and over again in his mind.

Funny, the things that travel did to a person's sense of sanity.

Kaiba looked up as a shadow fell over his hands.

Honda was standing in front of him, wearing that same t-shirt and a pair of cotton boxer shorts. "Are you okay with sharing tonight?"

Kaiba glanced around, realising Honda was talking about sharing the bed. He must have been thinking for longer than he thought. The clock was flashing 10:12.

Otogi was asleep in the single bed already, so he and Honda quietly dragged the mattress from the double bed onto the floor.

"Uh… You're not going to sleep?" Honda asked as Kaiba returned to his chair and laptop.

He didn't receive an answer, so he frowned and slipped under the sheets. The ceiling seemed so far away. He sighed and turned to his side.

He fell asleep to the rhythmic sounds of fingers tapping on keys.

-(S)-

Kaiba stifled a yawn as he looked up to stare at the clock. 12:57. It couldn't be right. He had only written five pages in almost three hours.

His vision was blurring slightly and he blinked, realising how dark the room actually was. The moonlight seemed smothered by thick clouds and the curtains were partially closed. He raised his hand to his temple, blinking rapidly as his eyes filled with water.

He yawned again, and this time he felt a small amount of water running down his cheek. He hurriedly wiped it away, staring at the moisture on his hand. He wasn't crying. He was just too tired for his own good. He wasn't sure if he knew how to cry anymore anyway.

A sharp sound broke the silence, and it took him a moment to realise it was his phone beside him. He hurriedly picked it up, hands fumbling for a moment to find the right button. "Kaiba…"

He stood up and picked up the room key, heading toward the door. He didn't really want to wake up the other two.

-(S)-

Honda opened his eyes groggily. His arms felt like dead weights and he must have tossed a bit in his sleep, because the sheets seemed twisted around his legs. The ceiling still seemed so far away, and the darkness of the room made him feel so small and childlike again. For a moment he remembered creeping through the hallways of their old house. He used to have nightmares, and he used to run to his sister's room, until eventually, he realised that he wasn't entirely wanted.

He sat up straight, the sudden motion causing a wave of nausea to pass through his body, and he realised how hungry he was.

"Ugh…" He let himself fall back onto the mattress again, and stared blankly at the ceiling. "I'm so confused…" he mumbled to himself, before blinking. "And I'm talking to myself…"

Closing his eyes, he found himself turning over and over. Sleep wasn't coming to him easily. Having drunk so much caffeine didn't help, but he was almost certain that wasn't his problem.

The mattress was just too big. Everything about this was wrong. Here he was, lying on this mattress, by himself, feeling sorry and sad and confused. How pathetic.

He could only just see the outline of Otogi's bed, and he assumed Otogi was in it. Trying not to make too much noise, at least not more than he already had, he crept over to Otogi's bed.

He rolled his eyes. When there was no one with him, Otogi slept in a little ball on one side of the bed. Of course, Honda thought as he slipped between the sheets on the other side, once there was anyone else keeping him company; he'd want his bedspace back.

"I hope you don't mind. If you do, well… talk to me in the morning… because I'm not listening now," Honda mumbled more to himself than to Otogi as he curled onto his side.

He was asleep within moments.

-(S)-

Kaiba stepped back inside the room, squinting in the darkness. He dropped his phone back onto the chair and headed slowly for the bathroom, walking slowly since he was sure Otogi had left his clothes scattered on the floor again.

It was when he came out again, and the harsh fluorescent light from the bathroom lit up the rest of the room that he saw Honda. He was lying in Otogi's bed, and Otogi's arm seemed to be wrapped around Honda's waist. Honda looked so peaceful.

He froze, his body refusing to move; his eyes refusing to look away from the sight in front of him. And yet, his mind was blank. It was as though he was seeing; yet it still wasn't enough to prompt him into doing anything.

He blinked, not even surprised when he felt trickles of warmth on his cheeks. Slowly, he touched his fingers to his cheek, and stared at the small beads of liquid. His vision was hazy from the tears, but he could see well enough to know that the moon was appearing from behind the clouds now. Its light made his tears sparkle, and they balanced on the tips of his fingers before the surface tension broke and their perfect pearl-like shapes dissolved into tiny trickles of hot water.

So he remembered how to cry after all.

**-MM-**

Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave a review because I really like reading them!

I'm feeling all loved because you all reviewed! I want to draw a really, really big, completely oversized smiley face here… but I can't!

Here's a small one I prepared earlier… : D I shall now proceed to completely overuse it in the following notes. : D

**Llonella** – I'm glad you're enjoying it : D They didn't quite kiss in this chapter, but they had a nice argument while they were pinning each other against the wall… so that sort of counts! xD

**Nanashi **– Thanks : D Stubbornshipping! My ship of choice! Always! (Gets up on her soapbox) Not that I don't love everything else, I'm just attached to Honda and Kaiba…

**Alice** – (sweatdrops) Dedication indeed : P I'm glad you like my stories and I really appreciate the fact that you always review : D Reviews make me feel happy that someone read my story and liked it enough to write me something back!

**Trixie 21** – Thankyou : D Hope you liked this chapter too. Honda and Kaiba can be really stubborn characters to write actually! (Pokes Kaiba with a stick) He just doesn't do what I want him to sometimes.

**Bishoplover** – Thanks! Yes, Otogi always amuses me, and he's overly pedantic about his appearance, so I'm always tempted to make fun of him. But of course I love him!

**Ryu** – (Nods) I agree about the Otogi OOC-ness! On the topic of Bakura's cross-dressing, I just wanted to put a pretty boy in a skirt : P And Bakura put his hand up.

**Rice Kracker** – Thanks for reviewing! I always love reading you reviews because they make me laugh : D I'm running out of intelligent things to write here! Cookies! Cookies! Cookies! I bestow upon you cookies : P

**Yaoifanboy **– Thank you! I'm glad you like the story: D

**Harpie138** – Thanks a heap for your reviews! I'm glad you like it, but I really hope you're not out of your mind by now… (Counts on fingers) It's almost exactly 2 months since the last update! Cookies will restore your sanity : D

**Bourei no Hikari** – I'm not so fond of elevators actually : l But there are some really cool ones around : D I like glass ones on the outsides of tall, tall buildings! You can see the world from up there!

**Mutou Yasu** – Thanks! Honda's one of my favourite characters, so I try to always write him in a positive light, though he does have flaws. (Points at f-word) Like that. He doesn't get much attention, which is both a good and bad thing… : l Hope you enjoyed this chapter: D

Yay! Cookies left, right and centre! And hugs too : D

**-MM-**


	7. All About a Boy

Disclaimer: I still don't own Honda, Kaiba or any of Kazuki Takahashi's other wonderful creations. I bow to him.

Options, Choices and Obsessions – CHAPTER 7:

**All About a Boy**

Bakura yawned tiredly as he poked his spoon in and out of his porridge while Anzu dropped into the seat opposite him and watched disapprovingly as Yuugi began to mimic Bakura's actions. Watching the two of them poking their spoons in and out of the gluggy gruel made her stomach turn and she irritably snatched Bakura's away from him.

"Where are those boys anyway? They're going to miss the bus! Again!" She sighed, suddenly exasperated.

"Maybe they're still sleeping." Yuugi suggested timidly. Anzu didn't look to be in a good mood, and this morning he had woken up with a sock in his mouth. He refused to believe that there was any connection whatsoever between the two events.

Bakura nodded. "Breakfast was scheduled for eight o'clock."

"And the wake-up call was scheduled for seven." Yuugi added, watching Anzu's eyebrow raise slightly. "Not that we don't mind eating early!"

"_Really _early," Bakura nodded.

Anzu picked up her spoon and dipped it into her porridge. If she didn't drag the two lovebirds out of bed before seven, they'd probably want to stay there all day. She didn't care now if they were still in denial; they'd be worse once they got all their confessions of love and adoration over and done with.

-(S)-

Otogi groaned as something bumped his leg again. Opening his eyes slowly, he found himself focusing on the messy brownhair he was breathing against.

He wondered sleepily why Honda was in his bed, and rolled away from the boy a little. He hadn't slept well. Kaiba's mumblings had kept him awake for a while. Kaiba either liked the sound of his own voice, or just didn't know how to shut up.

Either way, once Kaiba had decided to go to bed, all Otogi had heard for the next hour or so was an unexciting monologue, punctuated by the occasional 'stupid', 'idiot' or 'damn'.

"Stupid… Stupid… Stupid…"

Otogi sat up irritably as the words broke the silence. He really didn't care if Kaiba was an idiot or not, because the last thing he wanted was to hear it at seven in the morning.

He got out of the bed quickly, throwing the sheets back and stomping to the bathroom. He could insulate his poor ears from Kaiba's mumblings in there.

Honda shivered as the warmth between the sheets disappeared. Suddenly the covers were all thrown back violently and he wrapped his arms around himself, unwilling to open his eyes.

"So cold…" he mumbled, beginning to wake up properly as he shivered some more. "So…. so… cold…" He opened his eyes just a little and peered at the blankets at the end of the bed, reaching his arm a little.

He found, to his annoyance, that his arm couldn't reach the pile at all, and he sat up instead. A glance at the clock told him that he had another three minutes before the wake up call.

Stretching his arms above his head slowly, he winced at the pain in his back. Sharing beds sure wasn't much fun sometimes. Glancing at the bathroom door, he concluded that Otogi must be in there, which meant that he wouldn't be out for a little while yet.

He watched the seconds ticking down to seven o'clock, and as the phone rang right on time, he calmly picked up the handset and then dropped it back down again.

"Day six!" he tried to enthuse himself, but it didn't work. Most other schools went on trips to Hawaii or simple trips to other parts of Japan, but, here he was in Germany. Whose dumb idea was it anyway?

He'd end up skipping his shower. Honda knew that much already. Otogi wasn't likely to finish in the bathroom before half-past, and then Kaiba would want it…

Honda was about to walk over and shake Kaiba awake, when Otogi emerged from the bathroom.

"What?" Otogi raised his eyebrow. Honda was giving him a curious look.

Honda must have looked more surprised than he felt, because he just blinked and stared at the clock. "Nothing…" He grabbed his clothes and hurried to the bathroom before Otogi had a chance to change his mind.

-(S)-

Later in the day, Honda stared blankly out of the bus window, occasionally tugging at the bottom of his coat. Otogi's silence was irking him. "What's up with you today?"

"Nothing." Otogi mumbled to himself, wrapping his arms around himself. The inside of the bus was cool, despite the fact that the heating was running. It was making Otogi's skin and hair feel dry, and annoying him to no end.

However, that wasn't actually what was bothering him.

He absentmindedly fiddled with the lid of his drink bottle, twisting the cap on and off.

Honda sighed, placing his hand on top of Otogi's, temporarily stopping the sound of the plastic lid spinning back and forth, round and round. "Are you sure it's nothing?"

Otogi seemed alarmed at Honda's touch, and his cheeks hurriedly flushed as he looked away, his eyes meeting Kaiba's as the blue-eyed boy glanced at the two.

"It's nothing." Otogi insisted, raising his voice and glaring at the carpeted floor.

"Okay." Honda shrugged and removed his hand. "You can tell me if you want," he added, obviously not believing his companion.

-(S)-

Museums were boring places, Honda decided. The paintings were flat and represented too many people and places which were long dead; the statues were shaped out of proportion, and the seats provided for guests were hard and smelt of musk and sweat. Otogi, of course had to point out that Honda's irritable mood probably contributed a little to his immediate dislike.

Honda, in return, pointed out that Otogi was only amusing himself by studying various parts of the male anatomy which just happened to be rather prominent in 18th century art.

Otogi's cheeks blushed pink and he playfully smacked Honda. "Go away you pervert."

Honda grinned. _Scores: Honda – 1, Otogi – 0._ "Pervert? Me?"

Otogi tried to sniff disdainfully, but his opportunistic nature got the better of him, and he turned around quickly, catching Honda in a headlock when the brunette didn't expect it.

Honda instinctively found himself kicking a leg forward to hit the back of Otogi's knees, and they both collapsed onto the floor, groaning as they did so.

"Well, isn't this just dandy…" Otogi drawled, with his usual enthusiasm, or lack thereof.

Honda snorted. "Childish… yes… dandy…_no_. And... you started it." Honda propped himself up on one arm and stared at the ceiling above them; something which had long since become habit.

"Leaders lead by example. You should know that by now." Otogi sat up slowly. "By the way… did you notice that we're the only ones in here?"

Honda sat up beside Otogi, and frowned. "I do now."

"I wonder where everyone went."

"You could always get up off your arse and look." Honda said smugly as he began standing up.

"Honda…" Otogi's drawled calmly, before pulling Honda's arm and causing him to fall back down to the floor.

"What? Ladies first now?" Honda rolled his eyes as Otogi got to his feet.

Otogi smirked. "You got that right."

A loud "_ahem_" caused them to pause, and Otogi stared at Honda.

"_What _are you doing gentlemen?"

This time, Honda recognised the voice as belonging to sensei. "Sensei!" He hurriedly struggled to his feet and bowed. "Gomen!"

Otogi bowed beside him.

"Honda Hiroto! This is your second warning. This time you'll face disciplinary action, but three strikes and you're out! I cannot and will not tolerate this sort of dissent." Sensei said, the look on his face expressing his disappointment and anger clearly.

"What sort of disciplinary action?" Honda asked meekly.

"Well," Sensei spluttered angrily. "I haven't thought of it yet!"

"Sensei! That isn't fair! It was just as much my fault as Honda's. If you're going to punish Honda, you have to punish me too, or punish neither of us!" Otogi stomped his foot.

Had the moment not been so serious, Honda might have laughed. It was so like Otogi to use such a childish gesture in a moment like this. Instead, he found himself smiling at his companion.

-(S)-

An hour later, they were walking along the side of the road, headed for yet another museum. There were a multitude of historic buildings on this road, and sensei was determined to make them visit each and every one.

Kaiba was walking; lagging behind the group. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was watching the duo ahead of him. Strange, how it hurt to watch, but he almost didn't care to stop himself… He was only longing for something he couldn't have anyway. And what was love and affection anyway? He didn't need it.

"Otogi?" Honda placed his hand on the other boy's arm as they came to a stop.

"What?"

Honda's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He really didn't like the way Otogi said that word. "I just wanted to say thanks."

Otogi shrugged. "It was nothing."

Honda shrugged back. "It meant something to me." He watched as the other boy smiled a little. He wasn't sure, but he was starting to wonder if Otogi wanted something more than friendship.

"That thoughtful look doesn't suit you." Otogi teased, before Honda rolled his eyes playfully and they jogged to catch up with the group. Sensei's voice rang out loudly in the empty street. "Now this is our last stop for the morning! It's just a small exhibition, but I believe we can all profit from spending some time here!"

Why Sensei had to yell so that the whole of Hamburg could hear him was absolutely beyond Honda's understanding.

"For the next hour I want you to immerse yourself in the world of Tibetan Buddhism!"

Otogi pulled a face.

Honda rolled his eyes up to the sky. He was sure he'd find the topic interesting, if only there wasn't a tiny man yelling it at his ear with a megaphone.

"Praying already?" Otogi raised an eyebrow.

"Heh." Honda didn't have much of an answer, and he ignored Otogi. Instead, he rummaged in his pocket, looking for a tissue. As he did so, a coin fell out, rolling along the ground to come to a stop in front of Kaiba.

"Kaiba?" Honda whispered, trying not to attract Sensei's wrath again.

Kaiba didn't notice him.

"Kaiba!" Honda whispered, a little more urgently this time.

This time, he saw Kaiba flinch a little, but he made no move to acknowledge Honda.

Honda scowled and was about to walk over and pick up his coin when Sensei whistled and they all began walking up the old stone steps to the entrance of the museum. The sole of Kaiba's shoe landed on the coin, leaving it on the ground; grimy with brown, icy dirt.

Honda huffed loudly and stomped inside after the others.

"Now!" Sensei's voice echoed violently in the large rooms of the museum. "People devote themselves to this form and others of Buddhism for many reasons…"

'If Kaiba's not ignoring me, I'll shave my head and become a monk', Honda thought with irritation. 'At least that way we'll never cross paths again. Kaiba certainly isn't very holy at any rate.'

Honda bit his lip as Sensei's monologue droned on and on. Of course Kaiba was ignoring him. It's not like Honda was going out of his own way to make up for their argument.

Kaiba's back faced him as he stared at one of the pictures on the wall. He didn't seem interested, but then Honda could easily have been wrong. Kaiba's eyes almost never betrayed emotion. If anything, they were…

Honda paused. No one word came to mind to describe Kaiba's eyes. Kaiba was like a study in contradictions; because for everything he did, said and said he believed in, Honda was never sure if he would ever know who Kaiba was. Sometimes his eyes were much the same. He never allowed them to express his emotions properly and they were blank, uncaring; cold even. At other times, he looked utterly determined; his eyes became an impenetrable wall against the world.

It was just sometimes when his guard slipped that anyone could actually come close to understanding him.

Honda subconsciously touched his fingers to his lips. It was stupid that one little _incident _could make him feel like this.

He had never found himself attracted to men before. And never would he have glanced twice at Kaiba. Kaiba was attractive in a way; that much was obvious… but… Honda's thoughts drifted to Jounouchi again.

Had he ever had an attraction to a single man, it would probably have been Jounouchi. Ironic then, wasn't it?

-(S)-

They had spent an hour at the small Burger King, all crowded around the table, except Kaiba. He sat one table away – just far enough that he could pretend not to know the twits blowing bubbles in their Coca Colas and removing the pickles from their burgers with sticky fingers.

Though, stupid as he felt, he knew his concentration was waning and his eyes were starting to wander. He could only stare at his laptop for so long before his eyes started to hurt anyway.

Glancing up, he noticed Honda staring blankly towards him. Hurriedly he returned his gaze to the screen in front of him, taking a sip of his bitter, black coffee.

Honda was staring at Anzu's shoulder. She had a squirt of tomato sauce there on her white jacket, but he wasn't about to tell her that. She was happily chatting to Otogi and Yuugi while Bakura munched through yet another burger. For someone so small, Bakura sure ate a lot.

Honda could see Kaiba over Anzu's shoulder. Kaiba, of course, wouldn't want anything to do with him anymore. He'd had his chance, and he'd blown it.

He closed his eyes and rested his cheek against the palm of his hand, his elbow resting on the table.

A moment later Otogi irritably flicked his finger at Honda's head. "Anything in there?"

Honda opened one eye sleepily. "What?"

Otogi frowned at him a little, looking worried. He had opened his mouth to say something when Honda hurriedly got up and pushed his chair away from the table. "I'll be back in a moment," he smiled somewhat reassuringly at Otogi and heading for the bathroom just a few metres away.

Kaiba watched him go over the top of his screen. He wanted to know once and for all that there wasn't anything between Honda and Otogi. He wanted to hear that it was just his imagination – that all those looks and touches, all those fights and disagreements meant nothing to the brunette, and that they never would.

But he couldn't bring himself to move. He knew he wouldn't be able to look Honda in the eye and ask what he wanted to know. He was afraid of the answer…

-(S)-

Honda walked into the bathroom and put his hands on the sink in front of him, staring at his reflection critically. Was it just his imagination or was Otogi starting to _flirt _with him? Well, Otogi flirted with everyone and everything sometimes, perhaps today was just Honda's lucky day.

And it wasn't as though Otogi _knew_ about the Kaiba incident, as Honda was beginning to think of it. Otogi didn't expect him to flirt back; he was just having fun. As far as he was concerned, Honda was as straight as an arrow.

Honda shook his head, a wry smile on his face as he mused over the stupid thoughts preoccupying him lately, and washed his hands.

-(S)-

A loud yell brought Kaiba out of his thoughts as Anzu stood up at her table. She glowered down at Yuugi and Bakura as she pulled off her jacket and stomped to the bathroom.

Honda stepped out of the men's bathroom a moment later, and stared bemusedly as Otogi dropped his jacket into his arms before entering the bathroom. Bakura and Yuugi were making a hasty exit through the front doors.

It left Kaiba alone – the sole occupant of a seat anywhere in the restaurant. Honda licked his lips nervously. He could easily walk those few steps to talk to Kaiba…

He took one step, telling himself it was easy enough in theory. Reaching the table, he sat down across from Kaiba and licked his lips nervously.

Kaiba didn't meet his eyes, but the slight blush appearing on his cheeks made Honda just a little hopeful. Kaiba looked almost beautiful like that… It was the moment before his eyes stared you down and burnt your dreams to tatters, Honda thought ruefully.

Kaiba's heart was beating quickly; he felt strangely breathless.

"Kaiba…" Honda's tongue felt tied. He wished Kaiba would just look at him – just one glance so he could see the boy's eyes. "About the oth-"

And then – the moment was broken. The incessant ring of Kaiba's phone broke the tension between the two boys, and he fumbled to get his fingers around it as Honda sighed and squeezed his eyes closed, almost in relief.

Otogi walked out of the bathroom a second later, and Kaiba packed up his laptop before the three walked outside into the hazy afternoon sunlight.

-(S)-

As Honda noticed his watch ticking past 9 pm, he almost felt that his day should have been more dramatic… Sighing, he watched his coins disappearing into the slot in the vending machine.

Days like these, he almost felt like pinching himself – just to check he was really here at all. Here they all were, in the middle of a night market, and the smells of gingerbread and crepes were floating through the crisp night air. He was surrounded by people; laughing, hugging, holding hands… So why did he feel as though he were outside, looking in?

Grabbing his bottle, he began to manoeuvre through the crowd. The snow was falling lightly, and the snow beneath his feet was a little icy; flattened and compacted from the thousands of feet which had walked before him.

"What are you doing?"

Honda turned around to see Otogi.

"What does it look like?" He smiled wryly and was rewarded with a small twitch at the corner of Otogi's mouth before he smirked.

"Sensei said we're heading back in an hour. You don't want to be late again."

Honda rolled his eyes and fell into step beside Otogi as they walked slowly down one of the rows of stalls. Snow was piled at the edges of the rooves of the small hut-like constructions and fairy lights twinkled above them. The clouds had cleared and the moon was full. It felt strangely surreal…

Honda glanced at his companion. "Hey… Otogi?"

"Hm?" Otogi gave him a sideways look and kept walking.

The feeling passed, and Honda instead smiled, throwing an arm around Otogi's shoulders. "I'm glad you came."

The statement caught Otogi off guard and he tensed a little. "Why?"

Honda blinked. "Because if you didn't come… I'd be…" he trailed off, leaving his words hanging between them. He felt Otogi shrug as they walked.

He had almost said 'lonely'… Looking around them, he was filled with a sense of isolation again, so he shrugged off the feeling and forced a smile.

-(S)-

"Breakfast!" Yuugi bounced energetically into the hotel foyer where Sensei was waiting.

Day seven, Honda noted, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. This morning they were scheduled to eat breakfast a few blocks from the hotel. The only downside was walking there first.

Kaiba watched Sensei with a critical eye. Today would be just another waste of his precious time; just like every other day.

-(S)-

It was a small café; neat and tidy, and basking in the warmth of the open fireplace which took up a large part of one wall. Anzu was huddled at the chair closest to the flames, and Otogi sat next to her.

The rest of the group was busy bumping each other in and out of the line which weaved around the tables and chairs and led to the counter, where a bemused waitress was taking orders by pictures.

Honda pointed at the picture on the menu and held up one finger, then pointed at another picture and held up another finger.

She sighed and punched some numbers into the cash register. "That's one pain au chocolat and one hot chocolate?"

He wasn't sure what she'd said, but he nodded anyway.

She tapped on the screen, bringing his attention to the price. Five euros and ten cents.

Pulling a few coins from his wallet, he frowned. He didn't quite have enough. Counting the coins in his hand, he realised he was just ten cents short. He stuck his hand into his pocket, expecting to find a handful of coins, but he found nothing.

Honda froze, realising that he wouldn't find anything in that pocket, since he was wearing a clean pair of jeans.

He smiled apologetically at the waitress who continued to watch him fumbling. He wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it.

"I believe this is yours."

Honda jumped as the voice interrupted his panicked thoughts and he stared at its owner. "Um… thanks Kaiba." He blinked, feeling surprised as Kaiba dropped a shiny gold ten cent coin into his hand. It was the same one he'd dropped yesterday morning… It was the same one that Kaiba had refused to pick up.

Grateful to be rid of the mess in his hand, he tipped his collection of coins onto the counter and grinned at the waitress, who glowered back. She irritably handed him a receipt and told him to be seated.

Kaiba didn't appear to have any communication problems, Honda noticed. Now he wasn't feeling so hurried, a blush began creeping into his cheeks. He hadn't expected anyone to bail him out, least of all Kaiba. He glanced at the boy as he took his receipt, and realised he looked stupid still standing next to the counter. He could feel his blush worsening by the second and hurriedly took off his jacket.

As Kaiba began to step past Honda, the hazel-eyed teen decided to take his chance. "Kaiba? Do you want to sit with us?"

Kaiba cast a quick glance at Anzu and Otogi. He hadn't actually expected Honda to say anything after he returned that coin. As far as he was concerned, they were now even, and they could perfectly pretend nothing ever happened in the first place. But the fluttering in his chest made him wonder otherwise…

Seeing Honda's hopeful smile, he looked away. "Hn." He didn't know what else to say… Being social wasn't really his forte… but he almost wanted to believe Honda had changed his mind.

Anzu glanced away from Otogi for a moment, her attention was beginning to wane as he seemed to lapse into business-speak for a moment. Honda caught her attention as she realised he was blushing rather profusely, and that Kaiba was standing beside him looking tense and… blushing? Anzu might have stared, if Otogi hadn't called her name.

"Were you listening?" he asked suspiciously.

She nodded. "Go on…"

Honda smiled a little, realising Kaiba wasn't sure how to respond to his invitation. He pulled up an extra chair in front of the fire opposite Anzu, who blinked but smiled almost knowingly. Honda found his cheeks flushing again as he glanced away.

"Kaiba," Anzu smiled at him.

"Being social today, huh?" Otogi said, for a moment glancing towards Honda. Kaiba thought Otogi looked hurt, but he quickly masked his emotions with a smirk. "Well, they do say that genius loves company."

Honda looked up quickly, forgetting the flush on his cheeks and his nervousness. Otogi had just paid Kaiba a compliment… Or perhaps he was complimenting himself?

Kaiba nodded. "Beggars cannot be choosers."

Honda groaned. That was definitely an insult. He shot Otogi a glare, and the boy seemed to take the hint. Honda didn't really want to think about why Otogi was suddenly making such an effort to be nice… It would just be a headache, he was sure of it.

"One hot chocolate and one coffee?" A worn down waiter stared dully at the four in front of him.

"Hot chocolate here, coffee there," he smiled, pointing at the small table between their two chairs.

"You didn't order for us?" Otogi raised an eyebrow.

Honda sweatdropped. "You didn't ask me."

"You didn't offer."

Honda blinked, staring down at Otogi's shoes as he and Anzu joined the end of the queue.

Otogi was becoming increasingly strange, and it was only the seventh day of the trip, though it felt like an eternity since they'd arrived…

He picked up his large mug, smiling as the warmth from the hot liquid seemed to seep into his hands and warm them. "So… who's looking after Mokuba while you're here?" Mokuba seemed like a safe-enough topic.

Kaiba picked up his cup of coffee, ignoring the sugar sachets at the edge of the saucer. "He has a nanny."

"Oh?"

"Of course all the domestic servants know how to look after him while I'm not there. Supervision isn't a problem," Kaiba added quickly; almost in a business-like manner.

"Does he… hang out with friends from school a lot?" Honda couldn't help but ask the question.

"Hn…" Kaiba closed his eyes; that trademark smirk returning.

Honda looked away. "I guess not."

"Mokuba's smarter than his classmates. They'd provide no intellectual stimulation whatsoever. And anyway, he has me."

Honda stared towards the street. Their seats were facing the window, and the early-morning commuters provided a welcome distraction for the moment.

Honda took a sip of his hot chocolate. It was a little sweet for his liking, but it was hot and comforting, and the plush chair he was sitting in felt just perfect against his back. The fire was warm and the snow outside was white and fresh and sparkling in the morning light…

And mornings like these were almost perfect, he thought with satisfaction as he leaned his head back against the chair.

Kaiba placed his coffee cup back into its saucer, hearing it clink as the china pieces bumped together.

"Pain au chocolat?" The haggard waiter again looked between Honda and Kaiba.

Honda opened an eye. "That's me!" he took the plate and smiled at the waiter. "Danke!"

The waiter seemed to brighten just a little, and he smiled back at Honda, his eye looking him over a little longer than necessary. Kaiba couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"You're not eating?" Honda looked at him strangely.

Kaiba felt a sudden stab of guilt, or perhaps hunger; he wasn't sure. He shook his head.

"Aren't you hungry?" Honda's stomach growled, as though choosing that moment to emphasise his point. His cheeks flushed in slight embarrassment.

Kaiba shook his head. "I don't eat breakfast. I never have time."

"Well… you have time now." Honda tore his pain au chocolat in half and handed Kaiba the half on the plate.

Kaiba stared in surprise but made no move to touch it.

"It won't kill you," Honda huffed, a little frustrated and becoming more embarrassed the longer he had to hold the plate.

Kaiba took the plate tentatively.

Honda turned his face away to hide his smile.

Kaiba stared at the baked creation; the inside filled with chocolate and the dough looking buttery and fattening. He took one tentative bite, and chewed a little slowly, trying to discern the tastes and textures. Honda's pain au chocolat was strangely satisfying.

Honda had already finished his half and was watching him, a blush on his face.

Kaiba stared back inquisitively.

"You have a crumb on your nose."

Kaiba brushed his nose with the back of his hand as Anzu, Bakura, Yuugi and Otogi chose that moment to return from the queue, which was now no longer.

Kaiba could feel the blush in his cheeks, but it didn't actually bother him now. He could always blame it on the fire after all.

"You finished it already?" Anzu stared at Honda. "You must have been hungrier than usual."

Honda rolled his eyes and playfully stuck out his tongue at her. He cast a quick smile at Kaiba and then turned his attention back to Otogi who had one eyebrow raised at him.

Kaiba ignored Otogi's look. Anyway, his chest felt light and the tips of his fingers were warm and he was almost sure that his feeling of satisfaction was due to the smile on Honda's face.

So the day was turning out to be better than he'd expected.

**- MM - **

_Author Notes:_ Yay! Look! I finished chapter seven only 10 days after the last chapter. I'm really proud. : D Cookies for everyone! Chocolate, choc-chip, vanilla, peanut butter, whichever flavour you want! I like double choc-chip but then that's just me… : D

**Alice –** Thanks so much : D I'm really flattered you think so! I'm beaming… I feel all loved now : P

**Lily Bob –** I sincerely hope you're not dead! Um… (pokes) This chapter was strangely unemotional, so I hope it wasn't too much for you!

**MotherCHOWGoddess –** I have to admit I'm really intrigued o.0;; Pinching in St Mark's square… I've never been there actually… I shall add it to the list. Yup.

**yaoifanboy –** Glad you liked the chapter : D I'm sometimes too lazy to read my writing through afterwards, so if you find any mistakes or anything you feel could be improved, you can always tell me so.

**chaosharmony –** Shh! (whispers) I can't tell you the ending yet! This is only chapter seven… I don't like sad endings though, and I already have the ending worked out. Hope you liked this chapter though : D It became rather fluffy at the end and I like it that way.

**Mokuba's Official Glomper –** I love odd pairings too, and I love the thought that I can make other people happy with my odd stories : D Glad you like it!

**Mutou Yasu –** Arigatou! Yes, confusion ahoy! They're starting to patch things up, but I agree with you : P They both have stubborn habits, and I feel like they should get to know each other a little before they fall into a relationship. Hope you liked this chapter!

**Nanashi Ni –** Thankyou : D I'm glad you like Honda's character, since he's a strange amalgamation of character traits I like… but most of the time he still ends up as Honda. I think also he benefits without Jounouchi, since the group dynamic is changed, which is why I felt I had to write him out of most of the story. (pats Jounouchi) Poor guy. I think he misses Honda…

**unsignable –** Hope you're not in too much pain! I was in a sombre mood when I wrote the last chapter, so it came out more angsty than I originally intended… This chapter was upbeat towards the end though! Hope that makes you feel better!

**Rice Kracker –** (is blushing like a tomato! Or maybe a beetroot o.0;) I really hope you weren't reading that last chapter at work or anything: P (looks around) I think I like writing this story the most because I can incorporate some of my own experiences into it, and maybe it helps me to write a better story. I think that the contrast between your sense of freedom and your sense of limitation is one of the things that strikes me most when I'm overseas, which is what I was thinking when Honda was running.

Me: Run! Keep running!

Honda: I've been running for two hours! I can't believe it's taken you this long to think up one line! Hurry up and retire before my legs fall off!

Me: That was completely uncalled for - and your two hours seems like two seconds to me. Want a spanking?

Honda: (mumbles) Not from you.

Me: That's it! (inserts large, hungry bear) Run baby! Run!

**- MM - **

Please feel free to leave a review!


	8. Only Emotions, Only Words, Only Human

Options, Choices and Obsessions – CHAPTER 8:

**Only Emotions, Only Words, Only Human**

Jounouchi lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. There was an eerie silence in the building; like a kind of tension waiting to be broken. He was gripping his bedspread in his hands, unaware that he was even doing so. His eyes stared at the ceiling; distant.

His leg ached a little, though the sensation was dulled by his painkillers. It was the urge to scratch the scabs which made his fingers twitch every so often as they clutched the bedspread beneath him.

He didn't want to move, and yet he felt restless. Honda's words kept echoing through his mind and each time Jounouchi heard that hurt tone replaying in his mind, he just wanted to crawl into a hole. He had listened to Honda's voice for a long time before his words had started sinking in, and at first he wasn't sure whether to believe them or not. But Honda never lied. Sure, he was prone to fits of exaggeration whenever Shizuka was within hearing range… But that was different.

Jounouchi bit his lip. He had to apologise. He hadn't just let Honda down, he had hurt him. Instead of comforting him, he had lectured him and ranted at him… Maybe it had been the shock of the statement. Honda couldn't have put it in a much blunter way.

_I kissed Kaiba…_

Or maybe Jounouchi was just scared. He'd never considered the thought that Honda might be…

Jounouchi sat up and leaned over the edge of the bed hurriedly. Honda couldn't be gay. That was just… _How _could Honda be gay?

Was he just blind? Since when? When did Honda stop checking out girls and start looking at _Kaiba _of all people? Was he _crazy_?

Jounouchi sat up, suddenly realising how much the temperature had dropped in the room. He shivered, reaching over to pull on another sweater. The heating had broken a few days ago, so it wasn't much use holding out for it. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around himself, rocking slightly as he tried to keep his mind off Honda.

So Honda kissed Kaiba, or Kaiba kissed Honda. Either way it amounted to the same thing. Jounouchi brought his fingers to his temples and growled in exasperation.

Honda… Honda had been his best bud since they'd met. He'd pulled Jounouchi out of more scrapes and fights and tended to more cuts, bruises and hurt egos than anyone else, until Yuugi came along. Honda was… Honda was his family. He always had been, and he always would be.

It didn't matter if he was chasing girls or guys. He had to be there for Honda, even if it was that good-for-nothing, richboy-bastard, my-brain-is-bigger-than-yours dickwad which was Kaiba Seto. Kaiba didn't deserve Honda, and if he made Honda unhappy, Jounouchi would be more than happy to punch his lights out.

He'd do that any day though.

The light from outside was beginning to dim too, and Jounouchi hobbled over to the doorway, flicking on the light. He wasn't sure if he wanted to think about it anymore, but his mind was like a broken record playing over and over again. He had to get it off his chest somehow, but first he was going to find something to eat before his stomach ate itself.

-(S)-

Anzu studied the map, and out of the corner of her eye she was watching Honda emerge from the café, looking cold already. "I think we should check out the church first. Sensei said we should do that since we're already nearby."

Bakura stared impassively as Anzu continued.

"Then it will be time for lunch and afterwards we could split up to do shopping, right?"

"Shopping for what?" Otogi raised an eyebrow.

Anzu shrugged. "Does it matter?" She didn't really want to spend her money, it was just that the schedule Sensei had set the groups consisted of churches, shopping malls and the zoo, and she didn't really feel like hanging out with more animals than she already had to.

They walked to the church almost in silence. It wasn't that they had nothing to say; it was just that Yuugi and Bakura were busy whispering as they lagged behind the group, and Otogi and Anzu were both quiet. It left Honda and Kaiba walking in the middle of the pack, and not really sure what to say.

Honda for his part, was starting to wonder why Otogi had come on this trip at all. He didn't need to; he didn't have to, and he certainly had more important things to do with his time, although Kaiba had come as well, and Honda was sure that no one had stuck a gun to _his _head.

He was lost in thought, and he hardly noticed they had stopped walking until he became aware that the patch of black in front of him, which was Anzu's jacket, wasn't moving.

"So this is it?" Bakura asked, looking dubious.

They stared up at the old spire as it towered above them. In front of them stood the large gothic-style doorway; the bricks of the building charred and ugly.

"Well… this is great. Let's go shopping now." Otogi drawled, voicing his thoughts.

Anzu smacked his arm irritably as she pulled out the brochure. "It says that this church… Saint Nikolai Church… is now a memorial to victims of persecution… during the Third Reich…" Anzu pronounced the words on the English brochure with a little difficulty. She shivered and pulled her sleeves down, trying to keep the heat in.

Yuugi stared at the ruins, hugging his jacket around him. Bakura slipped his hand into Yuugi's and smiled softly.

Otogi noticed the smile and jealously turned away. "Well, isn't this morbid."

"It's history." Honda said irritably, not understanding why Otogi couldn't just accept facts and move on. Why was he trying to make things more difficult than they had to be?

Otogi turned to leave and Anzu followed him, looking a little troubled. "Otogi?" she asked softly.

Honda didn't hear Otogi's answer. A hand brushed against his arm and he looked around quickly. "Kaiba?"

Kaiba looked at him quickly, his eyes darting away again.

Honda smiled to himself, but he couldn't help but glance back as they walked away. There was something so lonely and desolate about that church; not neglected or forgotten, but it left him feeling empty; hollow even. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared down at the ground in front of him for a moment.

Kaiba paused mid-stride as he realised Honda had stopped moving. He tilted his head slightly and watched Honda's movements for a moment, and when the boy looked up again, the first thing he saw was a pair of blue eyes watching him inquisitively.

Honda grinned. Kaiba probably thought he was stupid or something, but it didn't matter. He took a few quick steps to catch up with the rest of the group, not even remembering to blush when Kaiba looked at him again with his intense stare.

-(S)-

No one needed to point out to Anzu that as charming an idea it was, sitting on cold park benches in the middle of an icy wonderland just wasn't fun in practise. Anyway, Anzu already looked a little guilty.

Having decided to skip the shopping malls in favour of the half-frozen zoo, they'd bought their lunch from a small stand and were now sitting, half-frozen to the wooden bench.

Honda shivered again. If they were walking, he might be able to keep warm. Despite his gloves, the tips of his fingers were starting to feel a little numb. Enviously, he noted that Bakura was still holding Yuugi's hand under the table. Bakura was eating with his right hand and Yuugi; with his left.

"This tastes like paper…" Yuugi complained, wrestling one-handed with his hotdog just to take a bite.

Honda and Otogi glanced at each other. "That's because it _is _paper," Otogi said dryly, pointing one finger at the packaging where Yuugi's teeth were digging in.

Kaiba's face looked deadpanned, as though he couldn't believe he was stuck with four of the biggest idiots in the known world. "Brain freeze," he muttered under his breath.

A moment later, he realised he had unwittingly not counted Honda as one of those idiots. Now he wasn't even thinking straight. Ironic, really.

Yuugi temporarily removed his mouth, looking rather sheepish, before peeling back the paper bag a little and chomping in again.

Anzu looked uncomfortable, knowing that Otogi was already in a bad mood and that Kaiba's comments could always spark another disagreement. She tried to think up a topic quickly – one which would distract their attention.

She looked inquisitively at Honda. "Do we have internet access at the hotel?"

He shrugged. "Why?"

"I wanted to ask Jounouchi how his leg was. It's been a week already," Anzu said, concern on her face as she looked at him.

Honda made a small noise in response and took a bite of his hotdog.

Otogi gave Honda a sharp look.

"I'm sure he's fine. Probably bored out of his brain too." Honda muttered under his breath, feeling a surge of annoyance at Anzu for bringing up the topic. Though it wasn't her fault, he just didn't want to discuss Jounouchi at the moment.

Anzu just gave him a quick glance, then she changed the topic again.

Kaiba was sure he heard bitterness in Honda's voice. _Stupid mutt_. He could only remember Honda making one phone call, which hadn't sounded like anything important, and he didn't have a mobile of his own. Maybe he'd made a phone call after he'd stormed out of the hotel room, though he'd already been irate at that point… so perhaps he'd made the call before.

Kaiba could feel the panic rising in him. The only time Honda could have called Jounouchi was after he'd run off that morning. He'd been out for hours.

He recalled how Honda had looked when he'd told him to keep his mouth shut. Kaiba gripped his fists underneath the table, having forgotten his food. Conclusions were easy to draw; Honda had told Jounouchi what happened, and Jounouchi had obviously said something.

Kaiba couldn't do anything about it now. The mutt knew everything and he'd never be able to keep his mouth shut.

At the same time as he felt his anger fading, he couldn't help but feel something else too… He could see Honda shivering out of the corner of his eye and for a moment, the slight motion reminded him of Mokuba. For a moment, he just felt the need to lean over and hold the boy until he stopped shivering.

"Kaiba?" Otogi stared at him, pointing a finger at his forgotten lunch lying on an extra paper bag on the table.

Kaiba shot him a smouldering glare. He didn't care for Otogi's finger pointing. Didn't anyone ever teach him it was bad manners?

Honda was still shivering inside his coat ten minutes later as he leaned against the wall, waiting for Anzu, Yuugi, Bakura and Otogi, who were all in the bathrooms.

He counted his cash again, glad that he'd walked past an ATM that morning. He would have forgotten otherwise, and he didn't want Kaiba to bail him out again. How embarrassing. Nice in a way, but Honda prided himself on his independence. He didn't need anyone to look after him. Let him make his mistakes, and let him deal with them on his own.

Kaiba walked past him and into the bathroom, his phone attached to his ear.

Honda blinked. He didn't think that was normal behaviour. Kaiba had already been talking since his phone rang a few minutes ago, and now he was even going to the bathroom with that thing still glued to his ear.

_Stupid phones_. Honda glared down at the ground. He needed to talk to Jounouchi. All he wanted was for his best friend to understand. He knew Kaiba detested Jounouchi, and the feeling was pretty mutual, but maybe they could just put aside their differences.

Honda recalled the last time Jounouchi and Kaiba had come face to face, and resumed his glaring at the ground in front of him. It was probably asking too much of both of them. He had never _hated _Kaiba, but he hadn't always _liked _him either, though that was perhaps a result of prejudice and lack of understanding on his part, and pride on Kaiba's.

He looked up as Otogi exited the bathroom, Kaiba just behind him. He found himself looking suspiciously at Otogi for a moment, a spark of jealousy weaving its way to his consciousness.

Otogi didn't seem to notice the look and Honda looked away as he felt Kaiba looking at him. He wondered how a simple little crush could bring out the best and the worst in people. He looked up to meet Kaiba's eyes and gave a slight smile.

As they reached the gates of the zoo a few minutes later, Anzu looked expectantly at Honda. "So are you coming?" Otogi was already taking a few steps away from the rest of the group.

"Wait! Where are you going Otogi?" Honda looked a little alarmed.

"Huh?" Otogi turned around, looking confused. "Weren't you listening before?" He looked irritable.

Honda was taken aback for a moment. "How could I have been listening if you weren't talking?" He argued back, annoyed.

Otogi faltered for a moment. He was sure he'd said something, but Honda looked so certain he was right, that Otogi wondered if he had been imagining things. He ignored the question and instead put his hand on his hip. "I'm going shopping with Anzu. You're obviously not interested in coming."

Honda narrowed his eyes. "What makes you think that?"

"No one said you can't come," Bakura said hurriedly, speaking just loud enough to catch their attention. "But you do look tired, Honda-kun."

Honda glanced uneasily over his shoulder as Otogi flicked his hair and turned his back. Honda really needed to talk to Jounouchi, and he probably wouldn't have another chance for a few days. He shook his head slowly, forcing a smile, if only for Bakura's sake. "I think I'll just go back to the hotel. You're right, I am tired."

"What about you, Kaiba?" Anzu asked a little hesitantly.

"I have work to do."

"Okay. So we'll see you at eight then?"

Honda hesitated. He'd forgotten how much free time they had. But before he could answer, Yuugi and Bakura had already waved goodbye and were walking away from him and Otogi was obviously ignoring him.

"Coming?" Kaiba began walking away and looked back at Honda.

Honda rolled his eyes. "Of course." He put his hands in his pockets and they trudged along in the snow.

Kaiba looked at Honda's slumped shoulders and felt that same feeling again – that want to protect Honda; to wrap his arms around and shelter him.

Honda looked up at him tiredly. "What?" he said, annoyance clear in the tone of his voice.

"Nothing," Kaiba blinked. That wasn't quite the response he had expected. He licked his lips. "Um… Are you okay?"

Honda looked at him, suddenly bemused. "Are _you _okay?"

Kaiba bristled. Still, that simple smile did wonders for his heart. He felt like he was running marathon; his heart beating quicker than he thought was good for his health. Honda was going to give him a heart attack. He managed to raise an eyebrow; a nice self-controlled gesture. "Why would you ask that?"

"You don't want to take the afternoon off?" Honda vaguely pointed a finger in the direction the others had disappeared.

Kaiba smirked. "I have better things to do than tramping all over this city in a meaningless waste of time."

Honda shrugged and smiled softly. "I'm sure you do."

For a few minutes, all they heard was the sound of the soles of their shoes treading over the snow.

"Are you sure you know the way back?" Honda looked at Kaiba with an expression of doubt.

"Yes," Kaiba retorted quickly. He rolled his eyes as they rounded the last corner and they saw the hotel.

Honda's stomach growled. "Wait… I'll meet you up there, okay?"

-(S)-

Kaiba blinked as he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He pushed a few strands of hair aside as he pedantically examined his appearance. Clear skin; no pimples, no major blemishes. Very slight dark patches under his eyes, but he couldn't help that. His blue eyes seemed to stare back intensely. He closed them as he rubbed at one eye with a finger, seeing with a strange fascination the single eyelash which sat upon the tip of his finger when he opened his eyes again.

There was a bang at the door, and he looked up quickly, turning on the tap and rinsing his hands quickly. He looked around, not seeing a towel, and irritably strode over to the door.

Honda raised an eyebrow, noticing Kaiba's sour face. "What? Did I interrupt something?" He thrust a large foam cup at Kaiba.

Kaiba stared down at the drink. He pulled off the plastic lid and stared in at the frothy contents suspiciously; the smell of chocolate rising from the hot liquid. He resisted the urge to thrust it as far away as possible. "What is it?"

Honda sweatdropped. "It's hot chocolate."

Kaiba stared at Honda as though he'd grown a third eye in the middle of his forehead.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" he asked stiffly.

Honda stared back. "Drink it, of course. What else would you do with it?"

Kaiba blushed. "That wasn't what I meant!" he snapped.

Honda rolled his eyes and finally stepped into the room properly to shut the door behind him. "You can have this one if you want…" he pulled off the lid of his own drink and held it out to Kaiba.

Kaiba slowly shook his head. "What's yours?"

"Raspberry iced tea." Honda kicked off his sneakers, pushed the lid of his drink back on and took a sip through the straw. He dropped onto the single bed, and leaned back slightly, propping himself up with a hand. Kaiba was watching him strangely.

Honda sighed. "You didn't want this one, did you?"

Kaiba shook his head. "Thank you… Honda." He spoke quietly, perhaps not quite used to the words on the tip of his tongue.

Honda shrugged. "No problem." He took another sip of his drink and flopped backwards, while letting his arm holding the drink hang over the edge of the bed. It felt great to be lying down again, and he liked the sound of his name on Kaiba's tongue. Somehow, it just sounded so much softer when he said it like that. It was soothing; gentle. You could almost forget that this was the same boy who could insult his best friend until he became a masse of rage. And yet – insults or caresses – they're only words in the end.

Kaiba sat down at the desk, hurriedly pulling out his laptop, flipping the screen open and starting it up, glad for any distraction from the strange predicament he found himself in.

Honda sat up in a moment, finishing his drink and throwing it neatly across the gap to the small rubbish bin next to the table.

Kaiba turned around, narrowing his eyes.

Honda blinked innocently. "What?" He noticed Kaiba's untouched drink and frowned. "If you don't want it, I'll drink it for you."

Kaiba looked confused for a moment, not understanding what Honda was referring to.

Honda pointed at the foam cup sitting neglected on the table.

Kaiba hurriedly picked it up. "I was drinking it."

Honda smiled a little wryly. "Sure."

Kaiba frowned and took a sip of his drink, turning his attention back to the start-up screen. Sweet; perhaps a little too sweet, but it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. It was _almost _an enjoyable indulgence.

He became aware of a pair of eyes staring holes in the back of his head. "What's so interesting?" he asked tersely, not really certain he wanted to hear the answer.

Honda shook his head. "Nothing."

"Hn. So stop staring. We're not in a zoo anymore."

Honda grinned, trying to hide it unsuccessfully as he got off the bed and walked the few steps to the bathroom to wash his hands.

Kaiba finished sipping his hot chocolate, and dropped the cup neatly into the bin.

Honda pulled off his coat as he stepped out of the bathroom again. The telephone on the bedside table caught his eye and he faltered for a moment. He still hadn't called Jounouchi.

Kaiba noticed the movement as he glanced back at Honda, realising where his attention was focused. He frowned a little bit, feeling his phone in his pocket and wondering if Honda actually wanted it. "Honda?"

"Hm?" Honda turned a little to look Kaiba in the eye.

"Here." Kaiba threw his mobile carelessly at him.

Honda caught it easily. "How did you know?" For the second time that day, he found himself thanking Kaiba for a favour.

Kaiba shrugged, but looked smug. "Hotels overcharge anyway."

Honda stared down at the phone in his hands. "Do you mind?"

Kaiba gave him a look. "Well, I wouldn't have given it to you if I did."

Honda smiled. "Thanks…" Taking a step towards the door, he waved the phone in his hand. "Are you sure? You don't want to have a seizure when the phone bill arrives."

Kaiba gave a bemused smile. He didn't possibly think Honda could out-talk his income. Maybe Honda had forgotten that… It was a nice thought…

-(S)-

Honda sat just outside the door, against the wall; knees pulled up to his chest. He didn't really want to walk far, just in case the call ended up being short.

He slowly opened Kaiba's phone, staring at all the buttons. Shrugging, he began pushing the buttons…

After just two rings, there came the unmistakeable sound of the phone being pulled off the hook. Honda heard a few clangs and bangs, which sounded suspiciously like the phone was being dropped, then Jounouchi's sleepy voice drifted over the phone line. "This better be important."

"… Jounouchi? It's me." Honda knew Jounouchi wouldn't hang up; he just didn't know what Jounouchi was going to say.

"What are you calling me for, dork? I was sleeping!" Jounouchi yelled into the receiver loudly.

Honda just laughed. The feeling of apprehension eased a little; at least Jounouchi sounded like himself. "Well you're not anymore."

Jounouchi muttered under his breath.

"How's your leg going?"

"It's killing me," he whined.

"Sorry bud. There's nothing I can do." Honda said apologetically.

The line was silent for a moment.

"So how's Yuugi?"

Honda bit his lip. He didn't think Jounouchi knew about Yuugi's interest in Bakura, and he wouldn't feel right spilling the beans instead of letting Yuugi tell his friend. "Fine" satisfied the criteria of the question.

Honda could hear the sound of sheets rustling on Jounouchi's end of the line. Then he heard the sound of a door opening and the flick of a switch being turned on. He licked his lips nervously; a little uncomfortably in the anticipation of Jounouchi's next few sentences.

Jounouchi surprised him.

"Hey Honda?" Jounouchi cleared his throat. "It doesn't change anything between us, right?"

Honda grinned. "Baka. What do _you _think?" He could just imagine Jounouchi's confused reaction on the other end of the line.

"How am I supposed to know what you're thinking? And anyway… you didn't _do _anything yet… right?"

Honda blushed. "I… _like _Kaiba, but that's all."

Jounouchi was quiet for a moment, before speaking again. "You know Honda, you don't need my _permission _for anything."

Honda smiled. Typical Jounouchi – he couldn't bring himself to say the words, but the meaning was there. Honda would have liked to grab his friend in a headlock and ruffle his hair, but all he had was a telephone. "Who wants your permission anyway?" he retorted loudly. "By the way…" he lowered his voice a little, realising how much the sound carried through the hallways. "What made you change your mind about… me?"

Jounouchi swallowed hard. "It wasn't you… I just don't get it. How can you _like _a jerk like Kaiba? He walks like he has a stick up his arse, he's a sore loser an' he can't even open his damn mouth without insulting someone! Not to mention that his ego's so damn big it probably doesn't fit through the doorway!"

Honda pursed his lips. "He's not that bad…" He felt as though he needed to justify his point.

"What? He saw the light?" Jounouchi sounded sarcastic.

Honda growled. "Everyone has good points Jounouchi. You just have to know the guy first."

Jounouchi sighed loudly, almost melodramatically. "So it's true, huh?"

"What?"

"That love is blind."

Honda pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. "What time is it over there?"

Jounouchi yawned. "Don't know. I think it's after midnight."

'No wonder,' Honda thought with amusement.

"Anyway, just watch your back."

"Jounouchi, it's-"

"Go away Honda… I'm trying to sleep."

Honda rolled his eyes in exasperation. "'Night then. And by the way, you can thank Kaiba for this call."

"Yeah. I'll thank him by punching his lights out," Jounouchi muttered, yawning again.

Jounouchi's aggression sounded half-hearted, and Honda smiled. "Sure. See you in two weeks."

Jounouchi grunted.

Honda ended the call, and sat for a moment, staring at the phone. _It_ – just a two letter word, and yet it replaced so many meanings and words with just one syllable. Honda was glad that Jounouchi hadn't lectured him again, but his discomfort about Kaiba was clear.

It. It. _It_.

Honda wanted to hear Jounouchi say the words instead. He wasn't blind, was he?

-(S)-

Kaiba watched as the door opened slowly. Honda stepped into the room quietly, a pensive look on his face.

He tossed the phone back to Kaiba, who caught it with practised ease and gave him an inquisitive look. He stared at the screen in front of him momentarily and slowly shut his laptop, seeing the screen light flicker out as the catch clicked into place.

Honda pulled a face. "What, you want a report?"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say anything."

"So I noticed." Honda remarked dryly. "I'm waiting for it."

Kaiba smirked. "Then you'll be disappointed."

"What? Not feeling yourself today?" Honda teased.

Kaiba's smirk faltered for a moment. "What do you know about me?" he asked softly.

_Don't make assumptions about people you don't really know._ The unspoken words hung in the air between them.

Honda saw the hurt look in Kaiba's eyes and quickly looked away. "Sorry."

"That wasn't the answer to the question."

Honda smiled a little wryly, watching the strands of Kaiba's hair shift as the boy lowered his head a little. "True…" He paused. "But perhaps you're not the person I think you are, so maybe I don't know anything about you at all…"

Kaiba looked him in the eyes for a moment, then he turned away.

Honda sighed and stared blankly at his companion; a sinking feeling in his chest. It probably wasn't what Kaiba wanted to hear, but it was true. He watched as Kaiba flipped his laptop open again, and the screen turned on, casting flickers of light and shadow across his face.

Kaiba cleared his throat. "You're staring again."

Honda scowled. "How would you know if you weren't staring back?"

"Did you see me staring?" Kaiba asked smugly.

"No." Honda sighed and leant over the side of the bed, grabbing his mother's book from the bottom of his bed. Then he leant back and pulled a pillow under his head, flipping open the book.

Yawning, more in boredom than tiredness, he flipped a few pages. He'd already forgotten how much he had read, but he picked a paragraph at random and started reading.

Kaiba typed slowly, watching the English letters appear on his screen. Within two minutes, he was already bored, and distracted. He shut the lid of his laptop again and stared over at Honda, observing his clean, white socks. He had bent one knee and he was holding the book loosely in one hand. His hair was messy – tousled and windswept from their walk back to the hotel and his lips looked chapped from the wind and cold.

"You're staring," Honda suddenly said, turning a page.

Kaiba blushed. "How would you know? You have your nose stuck in a book."

Honda lowered his book for a moment, hiding his amusement. Trying to keep a straight face, he raised an eyebrow. "Jealous?"

"Hmph."

Honda laid aside the book and sat up properly, crossing his legs and leaning forwards a little. "Kaiba? Why did you actually come on this class trip?"

Kaiba looked at him strangely. "For the same reason you did."

Honda blinked, and then smiled, shaking his head a little. "I came because I wanted to. I've been saving since Sensei told us about the end of year trip last year."

"What makes you think I didn't come for the same reason?"

Honda shook his head again, smiling wryly. "You're always saying it yourself – that you have better things to do with your time. You don't exactly pay much attention to the sights, and I don't think you've ever wanted to be involved with school activities before, right? I mean, you went out of your way to avoid taking up any extracurricular activities and you hate hanging around during lunchtime…" Honda was watching Kaiba's expression carefully as he continued. "You practically run out of school the minute that it finishes, and some days you just look as though you don't want to be there at all…"

Kaiba was silent for a moment. He crossed his legs and leaned forward in the chair a little, having turned it to face Honda.

"Why do you think I came?"

Honda shrugged, sitting back again, his arms supporting his weight. "I think Mokuba asked you to."

Kaiba had his eyes closed. It was hard to tell his expression, but Honda almost thought he saw a smile.

Honda smiled back, though Kaiba wasn't looking. "Mokuba's a great kid," Honda mused. "He's much better than I was anyway."

Kaiba opened his eyes and looked inquisitively at him.

Honda grinned and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't think you want to hear half of it."

"Try me."

The setting sun was now casting shadows and light into the room, and Honda looked across at Kaiba. He looked beautiful; streams of light flitting across his skin and hair… but then again, Honda thought he'd look beautiful anyway, if only he would smile.

Kaiba noticed the subtle change in Honda's demeanour and met his gaze. "Kaiba… If I said that… that I…" the words twisted on his tongue and he embarrassedly waved his hand, dismissing them. "Don't worry," he looked up, chuckling nervously.

Kaiba's breath hitched in his throat. "Go on…" he said, equally embarrassed to realise his voice was wavering.

Honda blushed, uncomfortable under Kaiba's scrutiny. "It's nothing, really." He blinked rapidly, angry tears making his vision hazy for a few moments. He couldn't understand why he just couldn't spit out the words – that was all they were. He felt so frustrated with himself. Jounouchi wouldn't just skirt around the issue – he'd just come out and say whatever he wanted to say. So why couldn't Honda just do the same thing? What was so hard about it that made him stop and rethink?

Was it fear? He _didn't _know Kaiba, that part was true… So why did he feel so drawn to him? And if Kaiba wasn't feeling the same thing, then why was he looking at him like that? Damn him for having started it all…

Kaiba saw the emotion in Honda's eyes; the unshed tears there for a moment, before he blinked, breaking the gaze between them.

"Honda?" Kaiba asked hesitantly; a little gruffly even. He didn't really know how to cope with emotions – they weren't his forte. With Mokuba, everything was so much easier, but Honda was almost a stranger in that way. Tears just didn't suit him; they filled his hazel eyes with unhappiness and made him look vulnerable. Like a child, he looked almost lost.

Kaiba was torn between his want to stay away – to ignore the boy in front of him as though he were no more than a decoration, and that feeling – that need to comfort him.

Hurriedly, Honda jumped up, brushing down his jumper and the fronts of his jeans. "Dinner first. I'm starving." His voice wavered, but he smiled and his eyes were dry of tears. He grabbed his coat and slipped his shoes back on, heading for the door. They're only emotions; they pass, he tried to convince himself.

Kaiba stood up; completely perplexed, but following Honda's lead anyway.

"Out or in?"

Kaiba shrugged. "Food is food. And you're heading for the door anyway."

Honda rolled his eyes in mock irritation. "Come on Kaiba. Food isn't just food! It keeps you alive, you know? You should appreciate it more."

Kaiba stared back blankly. "Appreciate it? How? It goes in one end and out the other."

"Lighten up Kaiba," Honda said, his forced smile slowly turning into a genuine one. His eyes twinkled a little mischievously; those tears forgotten already. "Better out than in at any rate."

Kaiba almost gave him a scolding look. For a moment there, Honda sounded like Mokuba. They stepped out of the room, Kaiba pulled the door shut and slipped the key card into his pocket.

"So… what are we going to eat?" Honda mused as they walked to the stairs. Avoiding the elevator was an unspoken agreement, no matter how many stairs they had to descend.

Kaiba checked his mobile. It was nearly six in the evening. They still had another two hours until they had to meet back in the hotel foyer; it was another two hours to spend in Honda's company.

Two hours seemed like such a short amount of time…

Kaiba shrugged in response to Honda's question. He didn't care much for food, whatever Honda said. Instead, it was the thought of Honda's company that he liked. Food was something to keep you alive, but it was people who you lived _for_. Kaiba let a small smile creep to the edges of his mouth. It was strange how a silly boy with messed up hair and soft hazel eyes managed to get under his skin like this…

Honda paused as he was about to take another step and looked up at Kaiba with a childish grin on his face. "How about hotdogs?"

Kaiba scowled, catching the amused twinkle in Honda's eye.

The shorter teen just grinned as they continued down the stairs. "Okonomiyaki? Roast pork? Schnitzel? Oden?"

Kaiba followed him, worries nagging him. Honda had looked so miserable at that moment. The pang of guilt in his chest told him that it was his fault, and yet he didn't even lift a finger to comfort the boy. Maybe it was something else; he wasn't sure. Maybe Honda's phonecall to Jounouchi hadn't gone so well.

He stopped walking for a moment, staring at his hands. What good were they if he never used them? Kaiba looked up again, seeing Honda half a flight of stairs ahead already. He only hesitated for a moment...

Emotions were just emotions, but they were raw and human; and words –

Words were, after all, only words.

"Honda? Wait up!"

**- MM - **

Goodness! This chapter was so incredibly labour-intensive! I've edited it twice, which is a change from usual, because I'm often too lazy to read my own writing these days.

I guess there's one point that I wanted to really make – when I decided to send Honda, Kaiba and co. to Germany, I didn't think a lot about how to touch upon the subject of World War II, which is partially why this chapter was so hard to fine-tune. I know it adds a very morbid mood to the beginning of the chapter, but it's something I thought was necessary and I tried to touch on the subject in a way which wouldn't alienate anyone! I do love my readers so! So I hope it doesn't detract too much from the Honda and Kaiba-ness of the chapter.

I also had a lot of trouble choosing a title, but that's another story! I think perhaps I'm just being fussy. o.0; Anyway, the next chapter is more light-hearted.

So now I'm almost talked out, but all I have to say is that I'm all for mutual exclusivity! Kaiba and Honda : D (Rings wedding bells and throws the mistletoe!)

**Mokuba's Official Glomper –** I write lots of weird pairings. I've never listed them all down, because I don't want to limit myself, but what I've written so far is here on my profile page if you want to click around. : D

**chaosharmony –** Updating puts me in a good mood too, I have a rather pitiful update rate, but I'm working on it: P

**Rice Kracker –** Quality porn indeed : P I was rather proud of that silly coin incident, but alas! This chapter is really serious, and there's no one idea that seems to tie it all together. Still, I feel like it was necessary, and it makes the next few chapters flow more smoothly… or so I'm telling myself! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to think someone loves my silly writing : P

**Mutou Yasu –** I like the idea that they know each other a little better first… Still, I'm just so tempted to lock them in another lift, but don't worry! No triangles here.

**Nanashi Ni –** Thanks : D You know _Honda's New Pet_ was the first Honda/Kaiba story I read, and it's the only one I've ever loved, so I love getting your reviews for the weird stories I write!

**Bishoplover –** Merci beaucoup! In all my scatterbrained-ness today, I don't know which line you mean, but I'm glad you like the chapters: D

**Llonella –** Thank you : D I always feel really accomplished when I manage an update, and I'm trying to get a little ahead, since I'll be busy again soon!

**Alice – **Danke: D You know, I always find different ways to say thanks but I've never before thought of writing French or German, so there you are : P

**Orenjiro-Chan –** Arigatou! Yup. Update is here, and the next chapter is looking better than this one so far.

Thus I give cookies! Yay! Just because I'm random, the actual word count for this chapter, not including my babble is 5959 words. It's the longest chapter yet, and is sixteen and a half pages… Chapter nine is looking good so far, but I'm going to be busy for the next few weeks, so feel free to leave me your thoughts! I'm curious, so I like reading what people think!

A bientot mes amis!

**- MM - **


	9. Footsteps on the Carpet

Options, Choices and Obsessions – CHAPTER 9:

**Footsteps on the Carpet**

"What do you think it tastes like?" Honda flipped a page of the menu in front of him.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Like dead cow."

"Was that supposed to be funny?" Honda stared blankly at his companion.

Kaiba shrugged. "You asked a question and I gave you the answer."

"No shit Sherlock," Honda rolled his eyes.

"Elementary my dear Watson," Kaiba replied without hesitation, a twitch of amusement showing on his face.

Honda shook his head, chuckling. "Dear?"

Kaiba hid his face behind his menu and mumbled. "You've never read Sherlock Holmes?"

Honda chuckled. "Who?"

Kaiba shrugged, trying to put on an act of indifference. "You're really missing out on something, you know?"

"You like that sort of stuff?"

Kaiba smiled a tiny fraction of a smile, noticing the look on Honda's face. "Each to his own."

Honda grinned. "Obviously you never learnt the principles of sharing and caring."

"Sharing and caring my arse," Kaiba snorted.

Honda's cheeks flushed bright red and he burst into laughter.

Kaiba looked up sharply. "That wasn't what I meant!" He quickly raised his glass in front of his face, taking a hurried sip.

Honda smirked. "I'll be first in line when you do."

Kaiba coughed, jerking forward and spilling his water over the table. What the _hell_? What _was _that?

Honda laughed, ignoring the indignant glare and the embarrassment permeating from the boy opposite him. "Uh… You know what I mean," he covered a little lamely, causing Kaiba to raise an eyebrow.

"Do I?"

Honda smiled, hiding it behind his menu. "I think I'll have the filet mignon. You?"

"Don't change the subject," Kaiba wagged his finger. Then he shrugged nonchalantly. "Dead cow, dead chicken. Isn't it all the same?"

"Like I said, learn to appreciate your food more."

"Has anyone ever told you how stubborn you are?" Kaiba rested his elbow on the table and leaned forwards.

Honda chuckled. "Apart from you?"

Kaiba declined to comment, merely smiling a little and meeting Honda's amused look with his own.

"Honda!"

Both Honda and Kaiba turned to see a head of white fluffy hair heading towards them. "Hi Bakura…" Honda said weakly.

"Isn't it great?" Bakura beamed happily, pushing a shopping bag towards Honda. "I bought it for you."

Honda smiled as Bakura looked around. "Hey… you got a really small table Honda."

Honda sweatdropped. That had been the idea…

The waitress returned, looking at Bakura with a twinkle in her eye. "Shall I move you three to a larger table?"

Bakura tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"A larger table," she repeated, pointing across the room.

Bakura nodded and held up six fingers.

Kaiba saw the door opening again and the other three stepping in. 'The unavoidable attachments', he thought with annoyance.

"Hi Honda!" Anzu waved happily, pulling her scarf off and walking over.

Otogi was a little more reserved, walking rather slowly, as though trying to delay the inevitable. He caught Honda's eye for a moment, and Honda cringed.

"Otogi?" Honda stood up from the table and began walking over to the larger one, weaving around other tables to get there.

Kaiba simply followed.

Bakura sat down, patting the seat beside him. "Have a nice rest Honda?"

"Erm…" Honda's felt someone sit down next to him, brushing his left arm a little. He looked up quickly. "Oh… Otogi…" He smiled, hoping Otogi might just smile back.

Otogi flicked his hair. "Honda."

Yuugi sat on Bakura's right side, and Anzu sat on Otogi's left, so Kaiba took the last seat between Anzu and Yuugi. It probably wasn't his seat of choice, Honda thought with amusement.

"Ready to order guys?" Anzu asked, looking hungrily across to the next table where a couple sat with an untouched pizza. She looked about ready to jump across and abduct it.

Bakura nodded. "I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry," Honda said accusingly.

"I'm a growing boy." Bakura protested.

"That's what you always say," Otogi raised an eyebrow. "I swear you haven't grown an inch since I met you."

Bakura pulled a face.

"And if you have, I don't see it." Otogi added, staring suspiciously.

Bakura blushed and laughed nervously, not knowing how to interpret the comment.

"Come on guys! Let's order already!" Anzu insisted, her stomach growling.

"I'll have the steak and the hamburger deluxe with a serve of fries," Bakura said, settling back in his chair.

Honda grinned. "Are you sure that's enough for you?"

Bakura nodded, almost thoughtful. "I can order more later if I'm still hungry."

"So what did you guys do?" Anzu asked, still eyeing the pizza on the next table. She picked up the saltshaker and started playing with it absentmindedly.

"Nothing." Honda shook his head.

"Hn…" Kaiba just grunted.

Anzu smiled, shaking her head. "Nothing? We were shopping for four hours, and you did nothing."

"I read a book," Honda offered reluctantly. "That was all."

Anzu wasn't really listening. "Ooh, where's that waitress? I'm so hungry!"

Bakura put his arm up in the air, trying to catch the attention of the waitress as she hurried from table to table.

Honda put his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand sleepily. Kaiba was sitting directly opposite. He blinked as Honda smiled at him.

"We bumped into Sensei today," Anzu said, beginning another one-sided conversation.

"Oh?" Honda tried to look interested.

Yuugi nodded. "Some of our stuff's been cancelled for tomorrow, so he said he's hoping to find something to make up for it."

"Like skiing." Otogi quipped.

"More like snowboarding," Yuugi smiled. "I've never done it before."

Honda perked up. "Really? Me neither."

"He said we can get lessons if we want," Anzu added. "I don't think he expects us to learn by trial and error…"

"Because we'd probably crash into trees…" Bakura said, still waving his arm in the air for the waitress.

"Any idiot can do it," Kaiba said coolly.

"Crash into trees or snowboard?" Honda teased.

Kaiba gave a smirk. "Both, I expect. But we'll find out tomorrow."

"You must be talking from personal experience," Otogi said a little snidely, examining his nails.

Kaiba looked surprised for a moment, but he covered quickly. "Learning from other people's mistakes…"

Otogi scowled. "Because of course, you wouldn't make mistakes, would you Kaiba?"

Honda instinctively put his hand on Otogi's arm; something he was used to doing with Jounouchi. "Everyone makes mistakes, right Kaiba?" He stared straight at Kaiba, watching as the boy closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Hmph."

Otogi merely flicked his hair.

"Am I supposed to be keeping score?" Anzu asked dryly.

Keeping a straight face, Bakura announced the results. "Kaiba-kun 5, Otogi 2 and Honda gets 20."

"Someone's been bribing the judge," Otogi quipped.

"Don't look at me," Kaiba smirked.

"I admit it. It was me… I slipped him some bacon under the table." Honda held up his hands, keeping a straight face.

"You didn't have to bring that up again," Otogi sniffed, but he struggled to keep the smile off his face.

Kaiba had no idea what Otogi was referring to, but he sat back in his chair a little, looking at Honda and seeing the twinkle in his eyes.

Honda's stomach growled. "Do you think that waitress is ever going to get around to us?"

Bakura had long since stopped waving his arm. He sighed melodramatically. "No."

Honda felt something brush against his leg; just a little touch. He instinctively glanced down, seeing Otogi searching in his pocket for something. He guessed that it had just been a slip of Otogi's hand so he didn't bother saying anything…

Two minutes later, he felt Otogi's hand brush his leg again…

Honda could feel the blush creeping into his cheeks. That _couldn't _have been accidental. He stole a glance at the boy next to him. Otogi's eyes met his for a moment, before the boy looked away embarrassedly.

Honda felt a twinge of guilt, and when he looked up to meet Kaiba's curious eyes, he had to fight the urge to look away.

-(S)-

"So what are we doing here again?"

Honda muttered under his breath. "It's a cultural experience."

Otogi shrugged, shifting his arm to take up more space on the armrest.

Honda smacked Otogi's arm. "Do you mind?" He whispered loudly, catching more than a few dirty looks.

Otogi snatched his arm away from Honda quickly, glaring at the boy. "Actually, I _do_."

Anzu was now leaning over in her seat, glaring at them both.

"Fine. Best two out of three," Otogi whispered, his eyes challenging Honda.

Honda grinned. "Jan ken pon!" He was going to win. He never lost this game, especially against Jounouchi. He raised his fist and grinned at the irritated look on Anzu's face. So they were in the middle of a theatre, and yes, they were supposed to be paying attention to the stage in front of them, but he was too busy with Otogi for the moment.

_Jan ken pon! _

Otogi pulled a face. "You cheated."

"How?" Honda smirked.

Otogi narrowed his eyes but couldn't explain.

_Jan ken pon!_

"See? You did it again!"

Honda just grinned and raised an eyebrow. "I win."

Otogi shrugged and leaned to his left, away from Honda.

Anzu flinched as her hand was elbowed off her armrest and she glared. "Otogi!"

"Want to play? Best two out of three," Otogi offered cheekily.

Around them, the sounds of violins, cellos, flutes and the single piano filled the air. The strains of music; loud, unerring and unforgiving caught his attention for just a moment. Honda was suddenly captivated by the notes of the music. Melodies and harmonies seemed to engulf him in waves. The sea of music was like the waves of the ocean; washing away his coherent thought.

In the midst of it all, he heard a small buzzing sound and realised it was Kaiba's phone – again.

Kaiba pulled his phone from his pocket and hurriedly flipped it open. Worry seemed to flash across his features for a moment, and he stood up hurriedly, weaving his way past their classmates to get to the aisle.

Honda looked towards Kaiba, and found himself following; his body moving almost of its own accord before he'd made his decision.

"Kaiba?"

Honda watched him disappear through the doors of the theatre, and ran out of them a moment later, only to see an empty lobby.

-(S)-

Anzu looked worriedly past Otogi again. Both seats next to him were unoccupied, and had been for the last ten minutes, at least. As the final notes of music died out, people stood around them, applauding.

It wasn't until they filed out of the hall that she began to worry. "Otogi? Do you think Honda and Kaiba are okay?"

"Of course they are." Otogi smirked. "They probably got lost on the way to the bathrooms. Personally, I don't think Honda could navigate out of a Coke can."

Anzu nodded. "I hope you're right."

-(S)-

Kaiba ignored Honda's look as they walked the short distance back to the hotel. The lights of the city were shrouded in a white haze and the cold night air stung his skin.

He had so many things on his mind that he didn't have time for Honda and he really couldn't care less if Honda was sulking because of something he did or didn't do.

A tap on his shoulder brought Honda out of his thoughts. He glanced back but saw no one. Instinctively, he turned and looked over the other shoulder. Still no one.

"Looking for someone?" Otogi teased, falling into step beside the brunet.

"Otogi?" Honda blinked in surprise.

Otogi raised an eyebrow. "What are you sulking for?"

Honda shrugged. "Who said I'm sulking?"

Otogi rolled his eyes. "Guilty until proven innocent."

Honda didn't perk up at all. Instead, his steps became longer as he strode to get away from Otogi.

"Seriously. What's up with you?" Otogi took a few quick steps and lightly punched Honda's arm.

Honda shrugged. "Nothing."

"Nothing besides your hair."

"What's wrong with it?" Honda argued angrily.

Otogi startled, before quickly covering and shrugging. "Well, first of all, it's a dangerous weapon which is fully capable of taking out an eye. And secondly…" Otogi trailed off.

"Secondly?" Honda prompted, rolling his eyes.

Otogi shrugged. "I guess there isn't a 'secondly.' But seriously, Anzu and I are going out tonight. Want to come?"

Honda looked at Otogi, noting the boy's impatient flick of his hair. He shrugged. "I'd rather sleep."

Otogi's face showed just a flicker of irritation. "Why? You can do that tomorrow."

"Aren't we going snowboarding tomorrow?"

Otogi shrugged. "So sleep while you're on the slope. Maybe you can get ten minutes rest in between the top and the bottom."

Honda snorted.

Otogi adamantly put his hands on his hips. "I'm being serious."

"I know. You've said so three times already."

Otogi ignored the statement. "Anyway, it's already eleven, so make up your mind soon."

Honda shrugged. "I've already made up my mind."

Otogi looked at him with one eyebrow arched in suspicion.

Honda grinned. "I've made my decision to sleep tonight."

Otogi looked irritated. "So make up your mind the other way."

Honda shook his head. "Some of us like our beauty sleep, even if we're not as beautiful as you."

Otogi eyed his companion with scepticism. "Are you being serious?"

Honda grinned. "Of course. As serious as you are."

-(S)-

Kaiba folded his shirt neatly, trying several times to get the folds right before he placed it into his suitcase. He frowned, thinking of his daily routine back in Domino. Usually he'd just drop his clothes around near the door and wait for someone to pick them up.

Pedantically, he picked up the shirt again, laying it flat on the bed and folding it again – folding the sleeves under and folding it in half.

Honda walked out of the bathroom and dropped his socks on top of his folded clothes. "Having fun?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes, frustrated as he huffed and tossed the shirt onto the floor. He reached over and grabbed his laptop, walking over and dropping into the chair with it.

Honda just shrugged, picking up his book and flopping lazily onto the single bed.

It was quiet, excepting the small hum coming from the laptop, and the muffled laughter coming from the corridor. Otogi had gone out with Anzu, leaving Yuugi and Bakura in their own room and Honda and Kaiba in theirs.

"Why aren't you going out?" Kaiba asked.

Honda looked across at him, raising an eyebrow. "Should I?"

Kaiba shook his head.

Honda smiled. "See?"

Kaiba stared. "See what?"

Honda grinned. "Nothing."

"If there's nothing there, how can I see it?"

"Has anyone ever told you how stubborn you are?"

"Apart from you?" Kaiba rolled his eyes at the irony in the question and answer.

Honda grinned, tossing an empty Pocky box at the bin. "Stubborn as a donkey."

"Are you calling me an ass?" Kaiba's mouth twitched into a tiny smile.

"A nice one, I'm sure." Honda teased playfully, laughing, and Kaiba blushed. He embarrassedly cast his eyes to the floor, licking his lips, but Honda's laughter was contagious and he choked out a small chuckle.

Honda couldn't explain the silly rush of happiness; the stupid joy that Kaiba gave him with his choked laughter.

Kaiba coughed, clearing his throat as he looked up again, and Honda just grinned.

-(S)-

Yuugi was sprawled out under the covers of the bed. Bakura could clearly see the outlines of his legs under the blankets and he was careful not to poke the boy as he slipped into the bed to join him.

"Yuugi?"

Yuugi opened one eye sleepily, trying to curl up a little as the cool air seemed to invade his space under the blankets, sweeping away the heat. "Hm?"

Bakura smiled gently, slipping in and trying to pull the blankets around himself. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Yuugi opened the other eye as Bakura flicked the bedside light off.

"Do… do you think Otogi likes Honda?"

Yuugi blinked. "Does it matter?" he asked slowly, carefully.

Bakura felt Yuugi shifting under the covers, but his eyes were slow to adjust to the darkness, and he could only see his friend's silhouette. "No… but I mean…"

Yuugi licked his lips.

"I don't know… I just get the feeling that I'm missing something…" Bakura trailed off, wondering if Yuugi could understand what he was alluding to. He felt something rubbing against his hip and realised with a start, that it was Yuugi's hand. "Yuugi?" he whispered into the darkness.

"Bakura."

Bakura startled yet again, so uncertain of his surroundings that he physically twitched when he felt the heat of Yuugi's breath on his neck. And then something softer, more gentle, touched his cheek.

"Yuugi?"

"Shh…"

Bakura stared, blinking rapidly as he tried to think. He reached up his hands and felt Yuugi's shoulder. "What are you doing?"

For a moment, there was no noise, no movement. Then Bakura felt a slight pressure across his hip and stomach, and he realised that Yuugi was leaning into him. He trembled, not knowing what Yuugi was doing, his body caught between anxiety and expectance.

Yuugi's kiss was soft, not weak or hesitant, but gentle and warm. One hand found the hem of Bakura's shirt and pushed it up a little, his fingertips sliding across the bare

skin beneath him.

"Yuugi!" Bakura breathed out suddenly, breaking the kiss and jolting the boy above him.

"Bakura? I… Are you okay?"

Bakura giggled. "It's just… your hair keeps tickling my ear…"

-(S)-

"Honda?" Kaiba's voice was quiet.

The curtains were left open so that the white moonlight shone through the windows. Patterns etched across the carpet; moving and flickering like a sea of movement and yet, there was silence.

Honda was curled up on his side, and he looked across the room to the mattress on the floor. "Kaiba?"

There was an incomprehensible mumble from Kaiba, and then the room was silent again.

"I was looking for you before… at the theatre," Honda said, watching the other boy.

Kaiba didn't respond for a moment, then with a little hesitation; "Mokuba called."

Honda saw the grimace on Kaiba's face. "Is he okay?"

"He's… He just wanted to know how I was, that was all."

Honda shifted onto his back and stared at the ceiling. "I wonder what Otogi's doing."

"Probably something indecent," Kaiba answered.

Honda smirked. "Possibly."

Kaiba tried to wriggle down into the blankets just a little bit more.

Honda closed his eyes, tiredness running through his muscles. "Do you think we're really going snowboarding tomorrow?" he mumbled, trying to stifle a yawn.

Kaiba shrugged.

Honda began drifting off to sleep. A few minutes later, his mind registered Kaiba's lack of response and he mumbled a little louder, "Are you asleep?"

"No."

Honda sat up, looking down at Kaiba. "Are you cold?" The blankets pooled around his waist, feeling heavy.

"Hn."

"Was that the 'yes-hn' or the 'no-hn'?" Honda said, feeling awake again.

"And you called me an ass, smart arse," Kaiba grumbled, a little teasingly.

Honda snorted. "Dumb arse."

The room was again silent for a moment, before Kaiba spoke.

"Are you cold?"

"A little." Honda shivered.

Kaiba sat up in his own bed and raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Are you trying to prove your point?"

Honda rolled his eyes, pulling the blankets up around himself and pulling them out from where they were tucked in under the mattress as he did so. It only made the cold worse.

Kaiba smirked. "So who's the dumb arse now?"

"Hmph," Honda responded, inadvertently sounding like Kaiba. "Kaiba?"

"Yes?"

Honda looked over at him with a grin. "You didn't say 'what'?"

"So?"

"Nothing." Honda grinned.

"Nothing again?" Kaiba put a hand to his head.

"Something then."

"What something?" Kaiba began rubbing his temple in small motions with his fingers.

"You're a nice guy Kaiba."

Kaiba looked at him, his fingers stopping their motions. Then he rolled his eyes. "And you're a liar."

Honda was taken aback for a moment, then he rolled his eyes, reasoning that it was Kaiba's way, and jumped off the bed.

Kaiba looked at him with bemusement on his face. "What are you doing now?"

Honda grinned. "Coming to join you."

Kaiba stared. "What do you mean?" He watched Honda's feet padding across the carpet. The shadows were dancing across his bare legs and he was wearing that same 'Bite me' shirt again.

Honda shrugged. "I mean what I say."

Kaiba looked down at the blankets on top of him. "Wouldn't it be bet-"

Honda threw his blankets over Kaiba's head, cutting the boy's sentence off.

Kaiba hurriedly pushed and pulled the blankets off himself and glared.

Honda just laughed. "It's cold over there."

"It's cold over here too."

Honda shrugged. "So share the blankets, stupid." Then he straightened out the blankets and looked at Kaiba again. "You don't really mind, do you?"

Kaiba grunted and slipped back under the blankets.

Honda too, wriggled under the blankets. "See, sharing and caring," he smirked.

"Is that your knee Honda?" Kaiba turned his head to eye the brunette suspiciously. Honda was curled up, facing Kaiba, and Kaiba could feel something pressing against his leg. Logic seemed to suggest that Honda's knee was the culprit.

Honda didn't reply.

"Honda?" Kaiba reached out his arm and poked Honda's chest under the blankets.

Honda still didn't reply.

"Hmph."

Kaiba curled up on his side, pulling the blankets up to his chin and shut his eyes, but not before glaring once more at the sleeping Honda.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again, and stared at his companion. Well, Honda probably didn't quite deserve the glare…

Kaiba yawned, closing his eyes. "You know… you're an ass Honda…"

No one and nothing answered him.

"But… you're a nice one…"

If Kaiba had opened his eyes, he would have seen the smile that spread across Honda's face.

**- MM - **

**lily22** – Thanks for reviewing and thank you especially for picking that up! I did mean 'bemused' as opposed to 'amused', because I guess there's a certain amount of misunderstanding and confusion between Honda and Kaiba. They don't really share the same sense of humour, so part of the 'getting to know each other' is learning to relate to each other's sense of humour. But they're definitely more amused and less bemused in this chapter :D Kaiba's lightening up a little. I almost feel like the apocalypse should be coming xD

**Mokuba's Official Glomper** – Honda and Kaiba make such a nice duo together :D I'm so glad you like them! I think they compliment each other, and they're both just reasonable enough that they'll somehow make it through the disagreements and misunderstandings. Of course Kaiba might turn around and say 'what misunderstandings? It was all his fault anyway!' o.0;;

**Mutou Yasu** – I have to apologise! When I read 'triangle' the first time, I kept thinking 'three-way relationship', but now I can't explain what I mean without giving away the story line! But don't worry, no one gets hurt! (Bops self) That was silly of me, ne? But I hope you'll like the ending all the same :D

**kimerakeepdr **– xD For some reason I'm really amused by that 'unsignable' thing! Actually Honda and Kaiba were going to kiss in that chapter, but I keep thinking that they don't really know each other that well to start a relationship. Maybe I'm too conservative, but I figure it's best not to jump straight into something serious sounding yet! So the story becomes longer every time I write it…:P

**Nanashi Ni** – Thankimasu Nanashi! (Glomps) I can't type asterisks in here, which is kind of sad… Glad you like the story though! And Yuugi and Bakura finally did something! xD That wasn't so hard to write, so why did it take so long? 0.o;;

**Raven Scorne **– Crisis fixed! Sort of. :P I can't stop myself from writing even when I should, so chapter 9 is here :D I'm glad you like Honda/Kaiba though! They're such a nice pair…

**Rice Kracker** – I think you just won the award for longest ever review RK:P Honda's a pretty tough guy so I think he'll sort out his feelings… at least by the end of the story anyway! Kaiba is pretty suspicious of people on the whole, but I think I would be too if I were in his position… I imagine once he and Honda finally work everything out, he'll be as emotionally attached to Honda as he is to Mokuba. :P It'll be true love! xD Or perhaps Kaiba's just very possessive.

**Bishoplover **– Yes, those two needed to sort things out. I thank Kaiba's phone for that :P So even though Kaiba doesn't much like Jounouchi, he's starting to put aside his dislike just a little, only for Honda's sake…

A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed and who reviews my stories!

**- MM -**


	10. A Not So Perfect Fit

Options, Choices and Obsessions – CHAPTER 10:

**A Not So Perfect Fit**

The first sensation flitting through Honda's consciousness was warmth. Something was bundled in his arms and he hugged it, vaguely aware that it was soft and comfortable and was merged against his own body. It shifted against him and Honda remembered he wasn't alone in the bed…

Funny, whoever it was seemed to fit perfectly against him.

It felt nice…

Was it… Kaiba? Did Kaiba really feel like this?

Honda squeezed his arms a little tighter around the object, feeling it squash beneath his fingers… Kaiba felt… Kaiba wasn't this squashy, was he?

That wasn't right…

Honda opened his eyes as he heard a muted mumble, and he stared at the object in his arms – one large, fluffy pillow.

He groaned. No wonder it fit against his body so nicely. In embarrassment, he punched it away from himself and rolled over in the other direction.

"Oi!"

"Huh?" Honda rolled back over to check out the source of the large noise, and was just in time to be smacked back in the face with the pillow. "Hey!"

"You did it first!" Kaiba growled, propped up on one elbow and staring at Honda as though he was the source of all the world's problems.

Honda sweatdropped and stretched his arms above his head, looking sleepily at Kaiba. "Sorry about that…" He eyed Kaiba's hair and chuckled. "Did you have a good sleep?"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Obviously not. You stole my pillow."

"But you have it back now, don't you?" Honda replied, still looking at Kaiba' hair which was sticking up in different directions and was generally looking a mess.

Kaiba rolled his eyes and raised his pillow to whack Honda again, when Honda sat up and grabbed his own. "Hey! It's my turn now!"

Kaiba growled and launched himself at Honda, who struggled backwards, taken by surprise at Kaiba's sudden movement.

"Who-"

Pillows collided with a loud thwacking sound…

"Said-"

Kaiba was advancing more quickly than Honda had anticipated.

"We're-"

The blue-eyed boy managed the first direct hit – to the top of Honda's head no less. And, despite appearances, pillows hurt when they hit with such force and speed at seven AM in the morning.

"Taking-"

Kaiba swung his pillow again, and this time Honda dodged the hit. He tossed his pillow away and lunged at Kaiba.

"Turns?"

Honda grabbed Kaiba's pillow and pulled it from his grasp, throwing it across to join the other on the floor, leaving the blue-eyed boy to blink as he found himself pinned against the mattress.

"I win." Honda grinned triumphantly.

Kaiba took a moment to catch his breath and scowled, looking rather indignant. "So I can see."

Honda leaned down so that their noses were almost touching and smiled; his eyes twinkling mischievously. "You know…"

Kaiba stared into Honda's eyes, seeing his own reflection in the dark, black pupils there. Honda was incredibly close. His upper body was pressing against Kaiba's as the blue-eyed boy lay sprawled on the floor. "Y-yes?"

Honda breathed in, his nose now touching Kaiba's.

Kaiba's heart was racing again. Again… This warm feeling; this burst of happiness and anticipation and fear and everything, all rolled into one and permeating every cell of his body until he thought he would burst.

"You…" Honda paused, a flicker of a frown on his face. Before he could change his mind though, he'd blurted it out, a cheeky grin on his face.

"You have no idea how cute you are in those PJs."

Kaiba stared disbelievingly. "Cu-ute?"

Honda laughed and scrambled to get off the boy as his look of confusion quickly turned into one of annoyance.

The bathroom proved to be a lucky escape as he ran for it and slammed the door after himself. He quickly flicked the lock and grinned as he heard the huge bang on the door. Then he whistled and pulled off his shirt.

Honda was the first to the shower for once.

Not even the sound of Kaiba yelling at the door could wipe the smile off his face. Though it was a little mean to have pulled that on the boy, especially with the look on his face…

Honda hooked his thumbs under the elastic of his shorts and shrugged. Kaiba would get over it sooner or later. And anyway – he wasn't the only one who hadn't been expecting _that _to have come out of Honda's mouth.

-(S)-

Kaiba glared at the screen of his laptop as he opened up his email. Another two hundred or so emails awaited his reply… Another hundred people who couldn't fix their problems on their own… Another fifty phone calls he'd have to answer during the day… And another day would have passed by before he would have sorted everything out.

He hit the keys on his laptop in irritation, and waited for Honda to emerge from the bathroom. Why he was taking so long was completely beyond Kaiba… What exactly was Honda doing in there?

-(S)-

"Wait…"

Honda had been a few steps ahead of Kaiba, and about to open the door from the stairwell to the hotel lobby. He turned around, seeing a thoughtful look on Kaiba's face.

"About this morning…" Kaiba started, hesitating and looking into Honda's eyes. "I just wanted to…"

Honda let go of the handle on the door and stepped towards Kaiba. "Are you okay?"

Kaiba shrugged. "I just wanted to say…"

"Say what?"

"It's pretty stupid really…" Kaiba lowered his voice, and Honda stepped forward so they were inches apart again for the second time that morning.

Honda wondered if maybe he had stepped over the line… Kaiba hadn't taken rejection too well the last time… And he wasn't exactly a people person either. Honda put his hand on the boy's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "Hey, che-"

Honda was cut off as Kaiba suddenly had him caught in a headlock and was roughing up his hair with a hand. "Oi! Kaiba! Cut it out!"

Kaiba let Honda go, smirked triumphantly and pulled open the door, darting out before Honda could catch him.

Honda stared. Then he chuckled ruefully, watching the door slam shut again. He ran a hand through his hair and tried to calm his breathing. He probably deserved that…

Still… It didn't feel quite so funny when you were on the receiving end of a joke like that.

Kaiba walked up to the large group standing in the lobby and stood at the fringe of the crowd. He watched the door to the stairway and snickered. Revenge was sweet…

"Morning Kaiba," Anzu greeted cheerfully, a cup of hot coffee in her hand.

"Morning," Kaiba said, still too busy smirking to notice what had just come out of his mouth.

Anzu stared. "Ne, Kaiba-kun… Where's Honda?"

"Morning Kaiba!" Yuugi greeted, a smile plastered from ear to ear.

"Good morning Kaiba!" Bakura echoed, his arm linked with Yuugi's.

"Where is Honda?" Yuugi repeated Anzu's question.

Otogi raised an eyebrow at Kaiba, looking suspiciously at his flushed cheeks. "You look like you've had a morning workout…"

Kaiba shifted uncomfortably, blushing even redder as he recalled how Honda had pinned him to the mattress only an hour ago. He was saved from further interrogation as the boy in question approached the group.

"Morni-" Honda was cut off rapidly.

"What did you do to your hair?" Otogi gaped.

Honda rolled his eyes, raising a hand to feel his hair self-consciously. "Shut up." He avoided Kaiba's eyes and when Otogi reached out a hand and further mutilated Honda's hair, he hardly protested at all. Instead, he plastered a smile on his face and finished off his morning greetings to his friends.

Kaiba left the group and walked over to the coffee machine, slipping forty cents into the slot.

"Bad news…" he heard Anzu saying as he picked up watched the foam cup filling up with steaming black liquid. "We're not going snowboarding after all… Not today anyway…"

Kaiba turned around just in time to see the smile fall off Honda's face completely.

-(S)-

Otogi nudged Honda. "Hey…" he began quietly. "You can stop looking so down…"

Honda winced. "I'm not."

Otogi rolled his eyes. "You're such a bad liar."

"So…"

"So stop lying."

Honda turned his head to stare Otogi in the eyes. They were sitting next to each other, and despite Otogi's slim frame, the boy was still pressed up against Honda in the undersized public bus seats.

"I'm just…" Honda frowned. "I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted, giving a lopsided grin. Up close, Otogi's green eyes were piercing. He was watching Honda intensely. Honda gulped and turned away to look out the window.

"Guys?" Anzu checked the map once more. "I think we just missed the museum."

"Is that important?" Otogi commented dryly.

Anzu hurriedly pressed the stop button. "What do you think?" she huffed, placing her hand on her hip.

Otogi scowled. "Well we don't have to go to another damn museum! It's not like they're interesting!"

Anzu rolled her eyes. "So what will we do for the rest of the day, huh?"

Otogi tilted his head to the side. "The bus loops around and around. If we sit on here long enough, we'll get back to the museum again."

Anzu didn't agree with Otogi's suggestion however, and the group found themselves being forced off the bus at the next stop. Yuugi and Bakura were pushed off first. Kaiba stepped off easily since Anzu wasn't quite game to physically push him, and Honda jumped off, stretching his legs.

"Your turn," Anzu pointed out to Otogi who huffed and crossed his arms.

"Hey, if I sit on this bus and go around in a circle again, I'll probably get there before you do."

"But what's the point? Your legs work perfectly so why can't you use them?" Anzu irritably snapped, pushing him a little and jumping off the bus after him. She was always watching their backs lately and it was just starting to annoy her… Just a little though…

Otogi wasn't expecting the shove and stumbled forward, tripping on his own feet and flying straight at the group.

Honda caught him instinctively and chuckled. "Never seen you do that before, Otogi…" He trailed off as Otogi quickly glanced at him and looked away over his shoulder, a pink blush rising in his cheeks. The green-eyed boy could see Kaiba watching him carefully and a feeling of jealousy quickly wound its way to his chest.

Kaiba was probably watching that Otogi didn't touch his _personal property _or something.

For a moment, it was as though there were just the two of them… Kaiba was watching Otogi watching him… and Otogi was watching Kaiba watching him…

And it hurt. It hurt because at that moment, Otogi realised what he'd known from the beginning. That faint feeling of jealousy seemed to grow into a painful, constricting emotion that seemed to twist like a knot inside of him as he watched Kaiba's eyes dart from him to Honda.

That's all there was to it – it was just one look.

Those piercing blue eyes just saw through him as though he was another object, but when Kaiba looked towards Honda, he looked almost calm; serene even.

_Honda_…

Otogi suddenly realised how he was still slumped in the other boy's arms.

"Hey! You can let me go now!" he snapped quickly, pushing Honda away from him and stumbling to find his own feet again.

Honda let Otogi go, bemusedly glancing over his shoulder at Kaiba. He studied Otogi's face for a moment and Otogi looked towards him guiltily, suddenly sorry for reacting so harshly. What was wrong with the boy? He was acting so strangely lately… It was as though he'd become a different person in a matter of days.

Honda was about to turn away when everything suddenly fell into place…

God he must have been blind…

"Otogi?"

Otogi turned, embarrassment and anguish on his face.

Honda stared. He couldn't help it. Otogi was…

_Otogi was in love with him… Honda. _

He would have fallen straight over in shock if Kaiba hadn't suddenly caught his attention as he smirked and turned away.

"Hn…"

The small noise caught Honda's attention and he breathed in sharply, turning quickly and trying to catch the expression on Kaiba's face. Did he know too? It wasn't only his imagination anymore; he was sure of it.

Anzu flipped out the map and Yuugi quickly pointed out their location. "Guys, the museum's back this way."

But neither Kaiba, Otogi nor Honda was listening.

-(S)-

_Otogi_…

Honda pulled out a deck of cards, flipping over the top card. It was the queen of hearts. The next was the ace of spades, then the ace of diamonds and the two of clubs…

In boredom, he flipped over each card; one after the other.

King of spades, jack of hearts, five of hearts, two of spades, nine of diamonds, six of hearts…

"What are you doing?" Kaiba asked, not bothering to look up from his laptop.

Honda shrugged and fell backwards onto his pillow. "I'm bored."

"Only boring people get bored."

Honda sat up quickly and threw his pillow to hit the back of Kaiba's head. "Who told you that?"

Kaiba pursed his lips and was silent. He reached his hand into the box of Pocky next to him and pulled out a stick, biting it in half. "Then… What has four legs and one foot?"

"Huh?"

"I said… what has four legs and one foot?"

Honda sweatdropped. "Um…"

"Come on…" Kaiba looked over his shoulder. "A kid could do this one."

"Are you insulting my intelligence?"

Kaiba shrugged.

"Can I have the answer?"

"Nope…"

Honda scowled and glanced at the clock. It was already half past nine. "Fine, I'm taking a shower then…"

Kaiba stood up, stretching a little. "Then I'm taking the room key and I'll be back in half an hour. I'm going to grab something to eat."

Honda rolled his eyes. Kaiba made it sound so easy… _Grab a bite to eat?_ Here, it tended to take Honda ten minutes just to understand the menus, another ten to order and hours upon end until he got his food… by which time he'd usually have lost his appetite anyway…

He walked into the bathroom and carefully locked the door behind himself, then he frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. What a stupid riddle. Stupid Kaiba… Of course the answer was probably staring him in the face anyway.

Four legs and only one foot?

-(S)-

Kaiba walked back into the room to see the bathroom door still shut. If he didn't know better, he'd think that Honda was trying to drain the river entirely. He'd been in there for an hour already… Maybe he wasn't feeling well? Maybe something happened to him…

Images of Honda unconscious in the shower flashed through his mind… What if he'd slipped over? Fainted?

Kaiba fidgeted on the spot, beginning to feel as though he was going paranoid.

Almost another ten minutes passed before he finally heard the water turn off and he walked over to the bathroom door slowly. He was still debating whether to knock on the door or not when suddenly it opened.

"Kaiba!" Honda looked shocked, dropping his grip on the towel he was holding. He scrambled to grab it quickly and pulled it tight against his body again.

"I didn't see anything," Kaiba mumbled, blushing a deep shade of red and staring at the wall.

Honda flushed pink. Kaiba just had to say it _that _way. "Do you mind?"

"Mind what?" Kaiba politely averted his eyes as Honda finished tucking his towel around his waist.

Honda rolled his eyes. "Scaring me like that."

"But I was just standing here."

"That's what's so scary…" Honda grumbled, trying to avoid looking the other boy in the eyes. He stared past Kaiba's shoulder and stared intently at his bag. He'd been going to grab his PJs… He'd been lazy that morning so they were still sitting at the foot of the bed.

"Um… Kaiba…"

Kaiba tilted his head questioningly. "Yes?" He was so busy not staring at Honda that he'd hardly noticed he was blocking the doorway.

Honda nervously put his hand to the back of his neck. "Do you want something?"

"Huh?" Kaiba stepped aside hurriedly looking away. "No… I was just checking."

"Checking on me?" Honda laughed. "What for?"

Kaiba grabbed his PJs and quickly walked back towards the bathroom. "Hmph." How embarrassing. He was honestly worried about Honda and all he could do was laugh about it.

"Wait…" Honda stepped in front of Kaiba again and peered in close. Then he rapped his knuckles against Kaiba's temple quickly.

Kaiba bristled. "What are you doing?"

Honda shrugged. "Checking."

"What the hell for?" Kaiba growled loudly, rubbing his head.

"Just in case…" Honda grinned and walked over to the bed.

"Checking, my arse…" Kaiba muttered under his breath, about to shut the bathroom door when Honda yelled back.

"You really should stop saying that Kaiba…"

-(S)-

Fifteen minutes later Kaiba opened the bathroom door to find Honda waiting for him.

Honda raised his eyebrow. "It's a bed, isn't it?"

Kaiba smirked.

"Smart arse," Honda grumbled, walking back to the bed and dropping into it tiredly.

"Dumb arse," Kaiba said flippantly as he turned off the light switch and tentatively navigated his way to the mattress in the dark. He dropped his pile of clothes onto the floor and slipped into the sheets.

The room descended into silence, broken only by the rustle of sheets and blankets.

"I guess we're even now…" Honda muttered, trying to stifle a yawn.

Kaiba stared at the ceiling. "Honda?"

"Hm?"

"I wasn't counting…"

Honda adjusted his pillow and turned on his side to face Kaiba. "What are you thinking then?"

Kaiba hardly blinked. "Now? I'm thinking about what I'm going to do when I get up tomorrow morning…" He stared up at the ceiling and ignored Honda's stare.

"What's that?"

"Check my email, make some phone calls, coffee, shower…"

"That's all?" Honda prompted, adjusting his pillow under his head.

Kaiba turned to face Honda so they were now face to face. He uncomfortably noted how close they were in the bed. "You mean… is that all I'm doing in the morning?"

Honda made a slight movement with his head, rubbing his hair against his pillow. "Is that all you're thinking?"

Kaiba stared back, watching the movement of Honda's lips. "Well…" He licked his lips, trying to keep the blush from his face. Honda looked calm; waiting for something. "I was… thinking about…"

"About?"

Kaiba blinked. Was it just his imagination or was Honda getting closer? Honda's breath was on his face; warm and smelling of mint toothpaste. His lips were parted slightly, like he had stopped talking mid-sentence and a smile was beginning to show. He looked utterly kissable…

Kaiba felt his face turning pink and he hurriedly blurted out the first logical word that came to mind, at the same time wriggling slightly backwards. "Tax."

Honda smiled uneasily and rubbed his eye with his hand. "Right… Tax…"

"And…" Kaiba mentally chided himself. "And… your knee is sticking into my leg."

Honda shot him a deadpanned look before rolling over the other way.

_Jerk_.

Kaiba stared at the back of Honda's head for a moment before he too rolled onto his other side and glared. Of all the things he could have said…

_Tax_?

The room was silent again. Yet it was hard to think properly when the object of your thoughts was lying right next to you.

Honda sighed and shut his eyes, tugging his pillow under his head until it butted against his shoulder and created a soft support for his head and neck. The last thing he wanted was a sore neck when he woke up. Otogi was in Anzu's room again, and it left him and Kaiba alone. Too bad the bed was cold.

After a moment, Kaiba's muted voice broke his train of thought. "Actually… it was you."

Honda startled. "Huh?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes, irritably repeating himself. "I said: it was you."

"What about me?" Honda smirked, imagining Kaiba's eyebrow twitching.

Kaiba grit his teeth. "Dum-" He swallowed the insult and rolled his eyes again for emphasis. "How could I have been thinking about tax? This isn't even June!"

Honda was silent. Kaiba couldn't see the boy's face but he imagined that Honda was probably amused at his expense.

"I mean," Kaiba embarrassedly changed his tone again. He curled his fingers tightly around the hem of his pyjama top, rubbing the soft material between them.

Honda smirked.

"You know what I mean," Kaiba snapped irritably, blushing.

Honda smiled to himself and rolled back over.

Kaiba heard the movement and felt the sheets and blankets shifting heavily against his body. A moment later, he felt an arm slip over his torso and pull him backwards so he was leaning against Honda. He tensed, his cheeks blushing redder and warmer than before as his body quickly reacted to the touch. Kaiba squirmed a little against the arm, but found Honda had shifted his other arm too so he was now being held in place.

He opened his mouth to protest; his brow furrowed as he fought off the wave of embarrassment and the feeling of indignation. What did Honda think he was? What would Otogi think if he walked in now? What if someone else found out? "Oi," he hissed, trying to turn his neck towards Honda.

"Stop stressing," his captor grumbled, as though reading his thoughts.

Kaiba felt Honda's fingers slowly entwining with his and he gave in, finding a comfortable spot on the pillow and wriggling until he was satisfied. Honda was laying close enough that Kaiba could feel the heat of his body. It felt nice to know that someone else was there even though it wasn't what he was used to… But Honda was gentle and his body warm, and he fit perfectly.

And for the moment, that was all that mattered.

**- MM - **

_Author Notes: _It's a shorter chapter so I decided to have short notes today! Kaiba's two inches taller than Honda… I was trying to figure out how Honda was supposed to be hugging Kaiba like that without difficulty… They're probably the same height if you can count Honda's hair though!

Thank you to **Lily Bob, lily22, Mutou Yasu, lost-beliefs, Rice Kracker, kimerakeepdr, Bishopluver, Mokuba's Official Glomper, Phox VS Frawg and Raven Scorne!**


	11. Tangled

Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh and in all likelihood, never will… Oh and please don't live off Starbucks. It's not terribly healthy so you might not live very long.

Options, Choices and Obsessions – CHAPTER 11:

**Tangled**

Anzu ran her fingers through her hair, wincing when they caught in the knots in the tangled strands. The air around her was cold and crisp and almost unpleasant against her sweaty skin. The smell of cigarettes clung to her clothes, and she couldn't wait to get back to the hotel room to shower. Around her it was quiet, and though normally she wouldn't mind walking like this, the silence was beginning to get to her a little…

It wasn't as though there was anything really different about today, but Anzu couldn't help but feel just a little awkward… It felt as though she was waiting for the other shoe to drop somehow; waiting for something that _ought _to be happening.

Or perhaps that was just the atmosphere.

She wasn't sure. Her fingers caught on more knots and she fumbled, trying to loosen the kinks in her hair, unable to see what she was doing.

Otogi was walking beside her, but for the amount of noise he was making, he might as well not have been there at all. Anzu was sure he must have been thinking about Honda, and she desperately wanted to break the silence, but she didn't know how to do it without also fracturing the small piece of hope that she knew Otogi must have been harbouring. So she raked her fingers through her hair as they walked, and cast a glance his way every so often to check he was still there. She licked her lips and looked around them; buildings, greyness, the early morning rays and the white crisp snow not yet swept from the footpaths.

Otogi for his part was lost to the world around him. It was lucky that the footpath was even and that there was more snow than ice on it, otherwise he'd have found himself flat on his back already. He couldn't help it. He knew he shouldn't have been attracted… not to _him _at least. And it was all _Honda_'s fault.

He huffed, trying to convince himself that the brunet had been the cause of all his troubles, but really, in the end… it all came back to _him_, didn't it?

"What do you think the other guys are doing right now?" he asked, looking up towards the pale light in the sky.

Anzu gave him an odd look. "Sleeping, don't you think?"

Otogi shrugged. "I guess…"

Anzu crossed her arms to keep them warm and pursed her lips.

As the hotel came into sight, she sighed and quickened her steps, then turned and stood in front of Otogi.

Otogi came to an abrupt halt and looked at her, confused. "Anzu?"

She reached out her hand and placed it on his shoulder, forcing a smile though she didn't feel it at all. Taking a breath, she decided that she was going to talk to him now when she had the chance. She knew she was taking a risk, and she knew she was just trying to read Otogi's emotions – something she hadn't had much practice at anyway – but knowing that Otogi liked Honda was eating her up inside. She felt horrible – the quick, nervous beating of her heart now reflecting the tension she felt in her body.

"Otogi, you like Honda, don't you?" she questioned softly, looking him in the eyes.

Otogi gave her a startled look. "What makes you say that?" he chuckled nervously, wavering.

Anzu too, hesitated for a moment before she squeezed his shoulder and smiled a little ruefully. "Am I wrong?"

Otogi chuckled nervously. "Don't be silly. How could anyone like an idiot like him?" he said, pushing Anzu's hand off his shoulder and then grasping her arm, pulling her forwards back to the hotel. "Man, I need a shower…"

Anzu bit her lip and stared straight ahead as they walked, but she could feel the way Otogi's hand was trembling and she was sure it wasn't because of the cold.

-(S)-

Otogi unlocked the door slowly, careful not to make any noise in the quiet hallway. Alerting any of the other students to his comings and goings would just be trouble, so he slipped inside the room quickly and then closed the door, placing the key back on the small table where he'd taken it from before.

He looked around quickly, adjusting to the dimness of the room. Walking towards the single bed where his suitcase should be, he realised slowly that he was looking at an empty bed…

'Where was Honda?' he wondered, a feeling of worry rising in his chest. He couldn't have gone out, could he? And where was Kaiba? It wasn't as though either of them had any where else to go to at this time of day… Although when he thought about it, certainly they were pretty chummy with each other lately.

The thought made him feel awkward; reminding him of what he had been trying to forget. So he pulled off his jacket and then his top underneath and sat down on the edge of the single bed.

He looked towards the other bed, and then down towards the mattress he remembered was on the floor.

And there were two lumps under the covers. They were… There they were – Honda and Kaiba – and they were…

Otogi's breath caught in his throat suddenly. His chest felt tight and constricted, the air being squeezed out of his lungs by an invisible force. Quickly, hurriedly, he yanked off both of his shoes and then his socks and grabbed a change of clothes from his bag, walking into the bathroom and shutting the door with a bang.

He breathed out shakily and put his hand to his forehead, feeling the cool clamminess of his skin. His heart was beating in his chest; it felt like it was trying to escape almost, and he could feel the heat now rushing to his face. He felt… He felt jealous and he felt ashamed and angry and betrayed and oh God! It wasn't supposed to be like this!

And why was luck being so unkind to him?

-(S)-

When Otogi stepped out of the bathroom half an hour later, he once again felt that sick feeling welling in his chest as he saw the scene in front of him. He knew he should have looked away, and as Honda opened his eyes blearily and sat up, staring at him, he knew he _had _to look away. But it was like a train wreck.

He just couldn't take his eyes off him… Them… Both of them.

"Otogi?" Honda asked quietly, rubbing at his eyes. "When did you get back?"

Otogi snapped out of his trance then; hearing Honda's soft voice. He couldn't stand it; the blank look on Honda's face and the way he was looking at Otogi in confusion, as though Otogi was the weird one here; as though Honda didn't know why he was staring.

Otogi picked up his discarded shoes and grabbed a clean pair of socks, turning around quickly and heading for the door.

"Otogi? Are you okay?" Honda asked hurriedly, his voice still groggy as he stumbled up from the mattress and moved towards the other boy.

Otogi just shot him a glare and opened the door, walking through it and then pulling it shut again behind him.

Honda just stared. A moment later he sat back down on his side of the mattress and blinked, confused and feeling disorientated.

He felt, rather than heard, the covers moving as Kaiba sat up beside him, rubbing his head and yawning. "Was that Otogi?" he asked, sneaking a glance at Honda. He felt awkward now; not knowing what he was supposed to do the morning after…

The morning after? That sounded a little too dramatic, though they had slept in the same bed… And –

Crap.

Last night's conversation was coming back to him now, so he hurriedly pushed the covers right off him and got up, ignoring the slight bout of dizziness he felt as he stumbled towards the bathroom.

Honda startled as Kaiba spoke, remembering what he'd said to the other boy the night before. He looked around the room, feeling awkward, as though there was someone else here to witness his stupid realisation.

Then he hadn't even thought about Otogi at all.

What sort of a friend was he?

-(S)-

Anzu waved to Honda as he and Kaiba entered the dining room downstairs. The breakfast buffet was laid out, and she was waiting for him next to the cereals.

"Morning," she greeted a little breathlessly as she grabbed his arm and steered him away from Kaiba. "Do you know what happened to Otogi?"

Honda shifted and tried to ply Anzu's arms from his. He shook his head quickly, deciding to keep it quiet for the moment. He wasn't even sure, but he figured the only thing Otogi could be upset about was that he and Kaiba were in the same bed… And it wasn't as though they'd even done anything… besides _that_.

He willed his cheeks not to turn pink as he tried to replace the thought with thoughts of breakfast instead.

"So…" Anzu prompted, still clinging to his arm, unwilling to let him go until she'd satisfied her curiosity. "Are you sure?"

Honda rolled his eyes. "Yeah."

She let go and looked at him, slightly disappointed. "Okay, whatever. You know what we're doing today?"

Honda grinned. "If I knew the answer I wouldn't be here at seven AM, waiting around for Sensei to show up and tell me."

"Honda!" Anzu scolded lightly, shooting him a look. Then she turned around to serve some Corn Flakes into a bowl.

Luckily some things were universal; though she'd much rather have something Japanese… She was starting to miss the food back at home.

Kaiba had made a beeline for the coffee machine. He couldn't quite hear what Anzu was saying, so he finished filling his cup and turned around. Yuugi and Bakura were sitting at a large table and they both gave him smiles as he looked towards them. He walked over, hoping he didn't actually look like he wanted to be there, since he didn't.

There was just no helping it; the rest of them just came attached to Honda.

Otogi joined them a few minutes later, placing a large cup of coffee on the table.

"Morning," Honda said quietly, while Bakura and Yuugi chirped their greetings.

Otogi grunted, not looking up properly to meet their eyes. He gestured towards the sugar sachets which sat on an empty table behind Kaiba, so Kaiba reached backwards and managed to grasp the container, holding it out to Otogi.

Otogi took the container from Kaiba, jerking a little when their hands touched, his eyes meeting Kaiba's for a moment before he plonked the container onto the table loudly.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, while Anzu bit her lip and Honda robotically poked his spoon at his cereal.

Otogi ignored the silence at the table, emptying three sachets of sugar into his coffee and then clanging his spoon noisily against the edge of the cup.

-(S)-

"Aren't they cute?" Anzu asked, looking in one of the shop windows at a display of miniature cuckoo clocks.

Honda gave a non-committal shrug. "I guess."

Next to him, Kaiba raised an eyebrow. Girls.

His elbow bumped Honda's and he glanced at the boy quickly, in time to see the mischievous look on Honda's face as he elbowed Kaiba back, sniggering at his surprised response.

As Anzu turned to walk away, and Honda turned to follow her, Kaiba fell into step beside him.

"I thought you were supposed to be the mature one," he teased, pushing Honda's side again.

Honda snickered. "I'm on holidays," he reminded Kaiba, pulling his hand out of his pocket to punch the other's shoulder. "You know, you could look it up in the dictionary some time," he teased back, although it was true he'd noted the absence of a laptop today.

"I'll look up 'mature' for you too, while I'm at it," Kaiba said dryly, hiding his amusement.

Honda snorted. "Don't need to, since the perfect example is standing right next to me…"

Kaiba blinked.

"I mean, really… You're so mature you've got probably wrinkles on your arse."

Kaiba's eyes widened and he shoved at Honda again.

Honda just burst out laughing at the indignant look on Kaiba's face. "Jeez, no need to look so serious," he grinned. "It's not like I actually looked, you know."

Kaiba snorted. "Idiot."

-(S)-

Otogi walked along the footpath mechanically.

His feet were sore, his shoulder blades were starting to feel a dull ache and he was plain tired. Today had been a free day, so they were all out shopping, and it wasn't as though he hated shopping, but it was just so damn cold.

He heard laughter in front of him and looked up quickly. It was Honda, laughing at Kaiba, and Otogi glanced down quickly again to glare at the footpath.

He'd been feeling like this all day, but no matter how many times he told himself to get over it, it just didn't work.

Hearing Anzu Honda call his name, he looked up again, ready to shoot a glare at the boy, when he felt his toe hit something hard. The sensation of pain was quickly overtaken by the realisation that he was about to fall flat on his face, and he stumbled, trying to steady himself again.

"Watch where you're going," someone snapped at him, and he blinked in surprise, realising slightly dizzily that he was still on his feet and that Kaiba was looking down at him.

For a moment, Otogi could have sworn that Kaiba looked almost concerned.

"Otogi? You okay?" Bakura called out, jogging back to see what the fuss was.

Then Kaiba let go of Otogi, who, cursing his feet – and the pavement – stood up straight and flicked his hair. "Well it'd be easier if people didn't just stop walking right in front of me."

Honda squeezed Otogi's shoulder suddenly, surprising him since he hadn't even realised Honda was there. "You okay? Maybe we should stop or something…"

Anzu gave a nod. "Yeah, it's been a while since we sat down anywhere, and it's pretty cold out here now…"

Kaiba snorted. There was a Starbucks up ahead, so he grabbed Honda's arm. "Come on then."

There was nothing more annoying than a whole bunch of idiots standing around in the cold, telling him what he already knew. People who stated the obvious were about the most annoying breed of people on the earth, apart from incompetent decision makers, time wasters, friendship cliques and megalomaniacs.

With so many idiots on the face of the earth, it was no wonder people went nuts.

-(S)-

Honda sipped his hot chocolate, taking in their surroundings. Why was it that they were always ending up at Starbucks outlets here? He supposed it was because there were so many, though that didn't really explain why they gravitated towards them like this.

Kaiba seemed a little out of it, and they were all pretty tired and there wasn't that much to talk about.

Honda didn't mind the silence though. It gave him space to think about… things. About Otogi, and about Kaiba, and about Jounouchi back in Japan.

Otogi was sitting opposite him on a plush couch, so Honda watched him for a moment, feeling depressed that their trip was turning out to be so full of things he hadn't expected. Although, he had to admit that it wasn't all bad.

Anzu next to Otogi, and Yuugi and Bakura together, he was pretty glad they were all in this together anyway.

And then he looked back to Otogi. It seemed like he was looking to Honda's left, and had been doing so ever since they sat down.

Honda looked over his shoulder, but didn't see anything of interest, so he looked back to Otogi again, who looked pretty spaced out, like the rest of them. And Honda realised that it wasn't that Otogi was looking at _something_, but at _someone_.

At Kaiba.

Honda took a big gulp of his drink, forgetting how hot it was and ending up coughing.

"The chocolate isn't exactly going to run away, Honda," Anzu joked, smiling across at him.

Honda grinned, masking his sudden confusion. "Well, not when Jounouchi's not here anyway."

"How is the mutt anyway?" Kaiba asked as he picked up his coffee. Straight black as usual.

"I don't know who you're talking about," Honda replied, this time taking a smaller sip of his drink.

After a moment of silence, Kaiba scowled. "Jou-nou-chi," he said, emphasizing the syllables rather sarcastically.

"Oh, Jounouchi?" he smiled. "I don't really know. Why don't you ask him yourself? I'm sure he'd be delighted to hear from you."

"Hmph."

Honda smirked, relaxing into the sofa and taking another sip of his hot chocolate.

Rather like the cat that got the cream.

-(S)-

The snow was falling pretty heavily by the time they emerged from the underground station onto the ground level.

Anzu held out her hand, seeing the flakes falling on her glove and condensing into small drops of water. The sun was setting in the distance still, and as it sunk below the horizon, it cast a hazy light through the clouds.

These were the kinds of days that Anzu liked.

As they walked back to the hotel, she let Yuugi and Bakura charge on ahead, as she walked next to Otogi.

Actually, while they'd been out today, she'd finally realised something…

This whole time, she'd been thinking that Otogi was hung up about Honda, but perhaps… She could easily be wrong, but she was beginning to realise that perhaps it wasn't actually about Honda, was it?

Walking a little closer and wrapping her arm around Otogi's shoulders, she grinned. "You know we're leaving here tomorrow… What do you think of going out tonight?"

Otogi chuckled.

Anzu looked at him in surprise, and Otogi rolled his eyes. "What? You think I'm a mutt? That I'll roll over and die just because something doesn't go quite the way I want it to?"

Anzu looked at him closely, and then smiled, shaking her head. "Of course not."

But she was still glad to hear Otogi say it.

"Otogi…" she began again.

"Hm?"

"Oh… nothing," Anzu smiled. "Just thinking to myself. I'm glad we're all here together, that's all."

She looked around suddenly, realising that they'd lost sight of Yuugi and Bakura, but then as they turned the last corner, they found their answer as a barrage of snowballs suddenly hit them, causing Anzu to shriek and duck behind Otogi.

But her human shield had other ideas – revenge apparently, since it took off after the culprits, along with Honda and –

Anzu blinked.

Kaiba?

Then she grinned and scooped up a handful of snow, shaping it into a ball as she chased too.

Yuugi and Bakura wouldn't know what had hit them.

Well, apart from snow, that was.

**- MM - **

_Author Notes_: Thank you for continuing to read this story and send me questions about it! Sincere apologies for the long, long, long wait between the last chapter and this one. Thank you especially to Nobody Girl and Llonella, since you both took the time to email and kick me. Since, well, I need kicks. XD

And – on another note, it sounds silly but I'm rather proud of having reached eleven chapters. My concentration span is seriously short, so I should mark this out as an achievement and a half. XD

I've written out the way this chapter's supposed to go several times. None of them was perfect, so here's to hoping this chapter was sort of more like wine than vinegar.

Thank you again and lots of love! But no reviewer replies because it's outlawed. (Sorry sorry!) They'd probably chase me down with a lasso if I tried.


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